


Rewrite The Stars

by hammerme



Category: Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, The Lone Ranger (2013), The Social Network (2010)
Genre: Anal Sex, Divorce, F/M, Face-Fucking, Love, Moving, Moving On, Oral Sex, Post-Divorce, Real Life, Romance, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hammerme/pseuds/hammerme
Summary: Rachel Perrin is a divorced single mother new to Los Angeles just trying to maneuver a new life with her daughter full of career opportunities and success. Armie Hammer is the midst of a potentially nasty divorce and a slight mid life crisis. When their worlds collide they can either rewrite the stars, together, or allow it to implode. Warning: eventual smut
Relationships: Armie Hammer & Elio Perlman, Armie Hammer/Original Character(s), Armie Hammer/Original Female Character(s), Armie Hammer/Other(s), Armie Hammer/Reader, Timothée Chalamet/Armie Hammer
Comments: 17
Kudos: 29





	1. LA Dog Park Judgment

**Author's Note:**

> I have developed a recent obsession with Armie Hammer that has resulted in writing 20K words about him in the course of a week. Send immediate psychological help. Armie, if you're reading this, hit me up.

Rachel wiped sweat from her brow as she cradled a fragile moving box securely against her chest. The narrow stairwell seemed to get longer and longer on every return trip back to her car. She was starting to get winded when she finally reached the second floor landing to her new apartment complex. 

“There has to be an elevator somewhere around here,” she grumbled, juggling the box and swinging open the ebony painted door clearly marked 402. It was time for a much needed rest and break. There was also nothing that sounded better in that moment than an ice cold Coke. She popped the top on her soda and trudged to the nearby living area where her daughter, Rowan, was settled on the floor among pieces of a wooden puzzle. The flaxen haired toddler paid little mind to her and instead had her gaze locked on the television. A nursery rhyme in song form was spewing forth from the mouths of brightly clothed characters making Rachel cringe. She turned the volume down hastily.

A sharp whine sounded from the door closest to her down the hall. She had for just a moment forgotten entirely about the dog confined in the space. She sat the red soda can onto the coffee table and heaved to her feet to let the dog out of his expensive prison. It had taken her months to find an apartment complex with realistic rent pricing that accepted dogs of his size.

“You better be grateful,” she huffed to the noisy animal behind the door as she opened it revealing a solidly built dog with long, lean legs and a barrel of a chest. The dog’s name was Arlo which was a silly name truthfully for a dog. It made sense, though, for the dog in question was a German breed and Arlo just so happened to be a very German inspired name. It was a lot better than the other names her ex husband had suggested whilst naming the stocky pup: Fritz, Maximilian, Bjorn. Arlo was the name chosen and now that they had separated she was glad things happened the way they did so she wasn’t stuck with a dog named Bjorn.

Arlo was excited for his newfound freedom as he continued to explore the apartment with his liver nose glued to the hardwood floor. He bypassed both the copper bowls on the kitchen floor that contained water and the crumbs of this morning’s kibble heading straight for Rowan’s bedroom to potentially score a dirty diaper. The dog was notorious for trying to eat anything disgusting which was mildly disturbing to his owner. He loved smelly garbage and dirty socks, too. It was appalling.

“Should we go for aaaaa-,” Rachel started causing the white and liver coated dog to jerk upright. His cola colored eyes stared right into her soul as she continued with one word, “walk?”

The chaos that ensued was borderline humorous. Arlo made a guttural noise that erupted straight from his broad chest and dashed to the door in one seamless movement. It took him all of 3 steps which was not all that impressive truthfully considering the apartment was all of 900 square feet of space. Beggars can't be choosers, though. Rachel was content with the size and price of the apartment in question. It would suit its purpose quite nicely whilst she finished school to get a license to practice cosmetology. She had decided mid divorce that it was the right career option for her and for Rowan. The toddler would always be her top priority in life. She had finally escaped an abusive marriage and she would be damned if she let the man she once loved hold her back any longer. 

She set to work pulling the stroller from the confines of the entryway closet. The bulky contraption had barely fit in there. She momentarily considered just leaving it in her car for practicality. Once more Rachel wondered about the presence of an elevator. There just had to be one in a building this size. She tossed the diaper bag in the under compartment and started buckling a squirming Rowan into the maroon seat. She clipped Arlo’s leash onto his collar, grabbed an applesauce pouch for both herself and the unhappy child, and headed down the hallway in search of an elevator. She found it rather quickly and judging by the amount of buttons inside she was lucky to have a lower floor number to begin with. Climbing seven floors of stairs repeatedly sounded like pure torture. Returning from grocery shopping would have turned into an Olympic sport.

Arlo pulled at his leash impatiently as the double doors slid open slowly revealing the parking garage. His master ooed and awed for a moment realizing where they were before being hit with a wave of embarrassment over how dumb she had been to not see the elevator, “It was literally ten yards away, but whatever.”

She pulled a pair of sunglasses from her hoodie pocket and perched them on her nose before turning to Arlo, “Don’t tell anyone how dumb your mom is. I already can’t handle the LA dog park judgement.”

The dog obviously did not understand and was just happy for the attention. He wagged his stumpy tail completely oblivious. He was probably dumber than she was, but he had an excuse at least since he was a dog and all. The trio headed down the ramp and into the bright California sunshine. Rachel had absolutely no clue where to go from that point so she just hung a left making a mental note so they would not get lost too quickly. It was only their first week in the city after all. She had visited countless times to check out apartments, interview for jobs, and apply for cosmetology school yet she had not a clue as to what direction to head next. They headed in the direction of several shops stopping to buy a coffee and croissant before continuing on the sidewalk. 

It was so much different there in Los Angeles than in Salt Lake City. Rowan was born in Utah, her parents had been married in Utah, and Rachel honestly did not miss it at all. Everything that Utah possessed California had and more. More jobs opportunities, more activities, more fun along with better amenities. She couldn’t wait until she could take Rowan to Disneyland for the first time or even just to Huntington Beach. The world was their oyster now, and it was thrilling. Rachel was living majorly on the settlement from her divorce. It was hefty enough to create stability in their current situation, but it was not large enough for extravagances. The one thing she had purchased outside of apartment necessities was her vehicle. It had been needed much more so in Utah than here in LA where public transport surrounded their apartment.

Arlo sniffed at a patch of grass for a long moment as his owner watched a pair of young girls in cropped t-shirts cross the street without waiting for the crossing signal. She could never. They waited for the green sign to pop up and crossed the busy intersection with haste. The surroundings changed almost drastically one block to the next. Instead of shops they were flanked on either side by sprawling Tudor style homes. She could only imagine the caliber of people who lived in these multi million dollar monstrosities. It almost made her nauseous to think about. How anybody would pay millions for a house was beyond her. Rachel’s mind was so focused on her own thoughts that she was too slow to react to Arlo’s abrupt tug against the leash. He was gone before she could bother to speak his name.

“Arrrrllllooooo!” she squawked in embarrassment even though not a soul was around to see. She could see him at a distance tearing across the open expanse of a golf course having cleared the fence on one side with ease. He was dead: so freaking dead.

Rowan was content in the stroller as her frantic mother started up a slight jog along the fence watching for a break to appear. It came in the form of an open expanse of yard which caused immediate panic. She didn’t want to cut through someone’s yard, but her options were extremely limited at that exact moment. There was no hesitation as she swooped through the grass with the stroller momentarily losing sight of the runaway pooch.

She had only started mildly heaving in exhaustion when loud shouting caught her attention directing her to the house directly across the street from the yard in which she had just sideswiped. A metal gate to the left of the house, no mansion, was swung open. That must be where he had dipped into. She pushed the stroller as quickly as she could to the gate and peered around to see a stooping figure and a panting Arlo whose leash was clasped firmly in one of the stranger’s hands. His face was shadowed by a camouflage printed baseball cap as he put his free hand over the dog’s side clapping against his chest. 

“Where did you come from, huh? Seems to me like you’re up to no good,” the man chuckled, the deepness of his voice making the words come out in a velvety slur. He continued to pat Arlo as Rachel watched before finally rustling up enough courage to clear her throat alerting him to her presence.

“He is rarely good if you want complete honesty.”

“Typical dog then?” He laughed, finally looking up to meet her gaze. His blue eyes crinkled slightly at the corners in humor which she found almost as endearing as the wide grin he wore.

“For the most part,” she sighed walking closer with the stroller in front of her, “but I think he deliberately tries to be an asshole.”

The stranger pushed himself upright to a standing position towering over her petite frame. He still held the leash tightly in one large palm. She was unsure if she had ever actually ever been this close to a man so tall. She had dated tall men in the past but they maxed out at six foot or six foot two at most. This guy was obviously taller than Bruce or even Ryan. He was a good looking guy for sure with arms thick with corded muscle and the growth of a few days stubble gracing his jaw. Blonde locks fell heavily against the nape of his neck the rest held back by the brim of the hat sitting low against his forehead. His eyes were still crinkled with that friendly smile revealing unbelievably straight, white teeth that stood out against the tan of his skin. Yeah, this guy was entirely too good looking.

“Well, I appreciate you catching him for me. He has a bad habit of bolting when given the opportunity. We’re new to the area so it’s kind of worrisome.”

“Oh, really? Where are you from?”

Rachel did not quite know how to answer his question. It was a long story that summarized in her relocating from New Orleans to Salt Lake City. She got married, had a baby, got divorced, and had left without a backwards glance despite some inner turmoil over her daughter being unloved by her sperm donor of a biological father. She answered his question with a simple, “Utah.”

The answer had peaked his interest, as she could tell, but he kept his questions to himself which was much appreciated. She reached a tentative hand out towards him to shake his hand. He confused the gesture and started to hand over the leash making her laugh, “Oh, I was going to shake your hand.”

“Shaking hands? What an outdated pleasantry.” He spit off in a joking tone. He continued to hold onto the leash letting it fall loosely from his grasp. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, keeping a grin locked on her lips at the joke, “That’s how we do it down South. We have manners unlike you California folk.”

“I thought you said you were from Utah?” Came his next question. The intrigue must have been too much for him to handle. She had to admit that she herself was mildly curious about him as well. He didn’t fit the stereotypical pretty boy California exterior. In all actuality he was the first polite person she had run into here in Los Angeles. He did not feign away or rush to avoid the conversation. In fact his strong hands were still busy stroking the dog who was now sitting between his widespread legs with tongue contentedly lolling.

“I was born and raised in New Orleans. Moving to Utah was a choice I made in my early twenties. I’d say that I regretted it if it were not for my daughter. That is definitely a choice I do not regret in the slightest.” She spoke softly, glancing down at the sleeping toddler in the stroller seat clutching her unicorn lovey between chubby fingers, “I’m Rachel, by the way. I think I forgot to mention that. Sorry, I ramble when I’m flustered.”

He chuckled deep in his throat in response, “Armie; and that is something I also do.”

“Armie,” she fumbled over what she could only assume was the stranger’s name. If he was shoving a fake moniker her way he could have chosen something less inconspicuous, “Interesting.”

“It’s a nickname. Trust me: I didn’t choose it. It chose me.”

“Hey, I wasn’t about to judge. I thought you made it up for a second there.” The conversation had grown a teasing lighthearted tone that could have been flirting if she wasn’t so oblivious to reality and jaded from her ruined marriage. She didn’t converse with random men for flirting to commence in typical activity. She had lost quite a bit of weight in the last year which seemed to draw the attention of male eyes, but it was something she tried to ignore. There was not an ounce of desire there for a relationship. She was busy enough with her day to day comings and goings with a two year old and the rowdy canine who enjoyed running off into random men’s front yards. Her rogue mind jolted back from the daydream when her phone sounded abruptly from the basket of the stroller drawing her attention away from Armie and to the time. The sound had been an alarm notifying her of the agreed upon obligation to allow Rowan to FaceTime from the iPad at home with her father. He was going to be pissed.

“I’m running really late for a meeting. It was wonderful meeting you. So sorry to run off like this, but I appreciate the help. I’ll just take that and-” the words on the tip of her tongue died off as Armie handed the leash back to her allowing their fingers to just barely graze. A tease of a touch that left her mouth dry and skin scorch. The jolt of electricity caused her mild panic as she rushed to depart the scene taking off at a brisk jog leaving Armie staring after her with fingers flexed.

He had felt it too.


	2. Blondes In Bikinis

Her ex husband had not reacted to Rowan’s Facetime call coming in fifteen minutes later than usual. He has probably been too busy with his flavor of the month to care in all actuality. Rowan was still in that stage where she did not completely grasp the concept of video chatting. Mike had tried to get her attention, failing after several moments, and just sat in awkward silence watching her eat a bowl of sliced grapes. Rachel kept obliging him, of course, because the court had ordered the video interactions. The last thing she needed was him forcing her back into court for withholding something as unimportant as freaking FaceTime.

“So,” he had said, making her glance up from the book she was reading on the couch. His pixelated hazel eyes were glued on her which made her lip curl, “meet any guys yet?”

“Not that it is any of your business, but no. Dating is not even a priority right now. I have more important things to do like take care of my daughter.” The words were bitter, but that was within reason. She had not caused his infidelity: that was his fault entirely. She would never forgive him for that nor the abuse. In fact, she had been seeing a therapist for the past eight months because she kept getting night sweats from dreams about him hitting her.

“Oh, calm the fuck down. I’m just asking. No need to get so defensive, Rachel.”

“I don’t appreciate the sudden interest in my life. Thanks, but no thanks.” She stood up to get Rowan’s attention. It was time for her to say goodbye and then go to bed for the night. Tomorrow they both had a busy day. It would be the first day of daycare for Rowan ever and Rachel’s first of work here in Los Angeles which left her stomach with butterflies. Rowan had never left her sight to be with a child care provider. She knew that both parties were bound to cry at some point when they separated for the day’s activities. Arlo himself was going to a dog sitter where he could play to his heart’s content all day long. Lucky him.

Rowan waved goodbye to her father, blowing kisses as they shut the iPad down. Bath time was quite easily one of her favorite things so she was eager to strip and get into the warm water. Rachel joined her in the tiny bathroom with a can of Coke watching as Rowan played happily with brand new squirting toys in the shape of farm animals. They liked to go through them together saying the name of the animal and the sound it made. Rowan’s favorite was the pig, and she always laughed when her mother pushed up her pert little nose to make loud oinking noises. It was all over much too quickly like much of Rowan’s infancy. Sometimes Rachel held her for long periods of time before bed trying to figure out where the tiny swaddled newborn had gone. It frequently caused bouts of sobbing on her part. Motherhood was entirely too bittersweet for a variety of reasons. The number one ache that occurred was over the absence of both her mother and father who had passed away only within five years of one another. Deep down she knew they were both carefully watching over them both from Heaven, but he feeling of hurt never subsided. Her mother had at least gotten to meet her granddaughter. Was there to even watch her be born, hold her, and swaddle her. Her grandfather had never been given the luxury for Rowan was born nearly five years after he had died. It was all incredibly heart wrenching at times for he had been a truly wonderful father. He would have loved doting after her daughter.

Rachel carefully wiped tears from her blurring eyes, kissing the sleeping tow headed toddler in her arms. She deposited the sweet bundle into her crib and left the brightly decorated room as quietly as possible. There was a moment where she stood in the hallway, back pressed against the closed door, and almost broke down. It was still scary and stressful becoming a single mother practically overnight. There had been so many recent changes. Luckily they had developed a routine semi quickly here in the lonely apartment. As if Arlo could hear her thoughts he came stumbling down the hallway with stubby tail wagging happily. She fell to her knees and pressed her face into his chest. He was happy to accept the attention adding in a featherlight lick as if wondering what was going on with his master. There was not much she could do besides kiss his nose, get to her feet, and continue to the kitchen to clean up the remnant of their quick dinner that had consisted of grapes, ham sandwiches, and chips on paper plates. It was all so incredibly funny to her, but at least it was all easy to toss in the trash. The last thing on her night routine was to take the bulging trash bag to the drop zone for her apartment floor and bring Arlo to a nearby patch of grass to do his business before bed. Once back in her apartment the duo headed immediately to bed slipping off into deep sleep once snuggling up together under the plush white duvet.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning had gone exactly as she had expected, complete with a meltdown from the clingy toddler, a whine from a suddenly nervous Arlo, and a bunch of racked nerves for her. She had cried in her car after dropping Rowan off at Little Miracles. All in all they were complete wrecks. Wiping the tears from her eyes she quickly pressed the ignition button beside the steering wheel of her new Infiniti SUV. The car had been the one extravagance she had given to herself after the divorce. Hell, she should have spoiled herself more but she was too level headed to waste much money. Practicality told her to invest it, save it, and leave it alone: so she had. There were certain occasions where the money burned a hole in her pocket. That had to be normal for most people, but she knew better than to humor every urge to spend. She did not require luxury and neither did her child. They both could live comfortably in the cozy apartment with Arlo for several years. Eventually Rachel hoped to move into a small house with a yard. That dream was several years and thousands of saved dollars away. For now they would hunker down to both work and play within their means. Luckily that didn’t mean having absolutely no fun entirely. Rachel had already purchased an annual pass to Disneyland for herself since Rowan was still free to attend. The credit card charge had given her brief pain, but it would be much used in the coming months.

She pulled up to her new job site with sweat already soaking the black shirt she wore which was funny because she had worked at Sephora already for several years. Just not at this location, obviously. They had hired her on as master artist after looking at her resume and seeing the close proximity to graduating from Paul Mitchell. She only had a handful of night classes before she was done for good. The timing was perfect because it was starting to get tiring working, caring for a toddler, and then spending all night in class five nights a week and almost all day long on Saturdays. Licensing would be coming up soon which meant a career shift. It was expected for her to dedicate herself entirely to makeup. The hair was just an added bonus. In fact, Paul Mitchell itself was a large bonus. She had attended a privately owned and operated school in Utah before moving to Los Angeles. The closest hair school to her was Paul Mitchell which, while expensive, would fully round out her styling capabilities. They thankfully accepted transfers even this late in the game. She had been able to transfer credits, showcase already learned technique, and would hopefully learn some new skills as well.

Work was much of the same typical onboarding and chit chat. She had been labeled a manager in the system which was nice, but expected given seniority within the company. The other manager had given her a set of shiny silver keys, a binder of store information, and a brand new holster of brushes as a welcome gift. Rachel could never turn down makeup brushes. She had so many of her own back at the apartment. Rowan actually loved playing with the older discarded ones. Like mother, like daughter.

She was done with work just after three which gave her ample time to pick Rowan up from the daycare along with Arlo. Class would start at five, but she already dreaded it. It was just one of those days. Rowan had been excited to see her which warmed her heart. Once they were home she gave the toddler a snack, put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and went to shower while waiting for the sitter to arrive. She had been extremely lucky to find another Paul Mitchell student in her building with a toddler of her own. Amanda went to school during the day allowing her to watch both kids for less than a regular sitter would cost. They settled it as being beneficial for the kids, and plus, she got to eat all of the snacks in Rachel’s apartment. The latter didn't mind in the slightest.

“I met this really cute guy yesterday,” she had told Amanda once she had arrived. The brunette was eager to hear about Armie though Rachel kept his name to herself. Amanda had asked about him in earnest so she continued on with, “The guy is smoking hot. Like way too attractive to be real.”

“Honey, this is California. Hot guys come here in droves for careers in modeling and stick around for the blondes in bikinis. I dated this super hot Ford guy recently. Oh mah gawd: the muscles on him.” The pair of women cackled together for a long moment before she had to leave again. She kissed Arlo’s nose, told her daughter goodbye, and headed out the door in absolute dread that would continue on for the next five hours.

California may be the place of dreams, but even some dreams took time. It was something she had learned wholeheartedly once her divorce had been finalized. Sometimes she was shocked at how fast time was speeding by. Countless hours without her daughter, without seeing her dog, without sleeping or eating. It was all a whirlwind of seconds, minutes, and hours. Five hours flew when you were busy, though, which she often was. They had a steady stream of appointments that came in at night when she was there. The appeal of a salon that was open until 10 PM must be extreme for those with 9 to 5 jobs and families. She once had a client slip away at bedtime to get a manicure and pedicure. Now that is something she would do herself one hundred percent. She had never related to someone more in her entire life.

She finished cleaning her station at ten on the dot. The instructors were eager to leave, and so was she. It was a long twenty minute drive from Sherman Oaks to La Brea, but with luck there was very little traffic. She had stopped to grab some groceries at Ralph’s which was the only store in the area that actually was open past ten. They had been in desperate need of bread, milk, and eggs.

Amanda had cleaned the living room before she had left. There was a motion activated camera in Rowan’s bedroom that Rachel could access on her phone at any time. She felt fully comfortable letting Rowan sleep alone in the apartment for an hour before she got home as the toddler never woke in the night. Not to mention there were limitations to her ability to do anything outside of her crib. Until school was over this would just have to be how things were. Her own father had left her and her siblings alone many times when he had gone to deliver newspapers in the wee hours of the morning. Did she have reservations and worries? Yes, but at the end of the day there was only so much she could do. Amanda was never far away and a quick phone call would have her running back to the apartment if necessary. Rowan never fussed, though, which worked out great for Amanda’s son. Leo had a similar bedtime to Rowan so the two typically were passed out by nine.

“Hello, Arlo Dog,” She whispered to the canine who was stretched across the sofa. His head had jerked up when he had heard the keys in the lock, but he remained still. Doggie Day Camp must have worn him out as well. She crept slowly across the room after depositing the cold groceries into the fridge. Arlo knocked his head against her own as she leant to kiss his ears, “I missed you, too, bud.”

The tired mother went to her daughter’s bedroom for a moment, cracking the white painted door to check on her. The toddler was fast asleep in her crib and covered by her favorite minky blanket printed with various shades of flowers. One satin edge was pressed securely against her velvety cheek. Rachel watched her breaths, the flutter of her lashes, and hated herself for missing her bedtime routine again. It hurt every single night leaving a deep ache within her. She shut the door softly going back to the living room where Arlo looked at her once more.

“Ready for your walk?”

He always was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bulk posting a few chapters to get this picking up a little since I have like 11 typed already. I have a slight problem. Also: this original character is based on myself so if you know me in real life mind your own business lol


	3. A Lump Of Coal Amongst Diamonds

Chance would not be on her side for many weeks as she was extremely busy with all things life threw her way: school, work, motherhood, and then graduation from said school. It had been an exciting time full of champagne and smiles. She was set to take her licensing exam next Wednesday which was absolutely unnerving. She was ready though. Had been ready for many weeks, actually. The last hours of Paul Mitchell had been great in terms of friendship. Gained were many lifetime friends like Amanda who brought so much happiness to her life again. They did activities amongst themselves every Sunday like clockwork. Disneyland trips, cafe lunches, skateboarding on the beach, or just bouncing a volleyball back and forth in someone’s apartment pool. Most of them were young, but they loved the few kiddos that the older folk had brought into the mix. They were still giant kids themselves. Even Rachel had moments where she embraced the youth that she had not felt in so very long. It had made her a better mother in the last few weeks. Mother and daughter spent many nights dancing around the kitchen to Fleetwood Mac licking spoons of ice cream or watching fireworks at Disneyland. Their favorite activity by far, though, was cuddling on the couch with the dog listening to a rare California rainstorm.

She had completely forgotten about Armie until one day in October right before Halloween when she had been out getting groceries at the Whole Foods by her apartment building. The day had been warm, almost ridiculously warm for October, so she had been wearing a pair of cut-offs and strappy sandals. She had been standing in front of a cooler with the door wide open blasting cold air against her flushed face when a hulking presence intruded upon her personal space. She had been pleasantly surprised to notice him standing there with hands in his pockets and a wide grin. He had obviously recognized her as well.

“Hello, soldier,” she joked in greeting causing him to raise a brow. She shook her head and laughed awkwardly, “Because, you know, Army? Soldier? I’ll shut up now.”

“I thought you had me confused with someone else there. Funny, though. Very humoring when a woman mocks my name. It’s humbling for the soul.”

“I was just teasing, but hey, we can all do with a little humbling. My toddler humbles me on a daily basis. Like yesterday she smacked my butt and called it fat. I cannot make this stuff up.” She said shutting the freezer door. Armie was wearing a pair of salmon colored shorts and a breezy floral printed button down. He looked like he belonged in a Hampton’s fashion magazine instead of standing in a Whole Foods talking to her. She was suddenly reminded that she wasn’t wearing a bra under her oversized t-shirt. She crossed her arms awkwardly with a clearing of her throat. Of course he appears now of all times.

“I was just grabbing some ice cream and cookies. You know? The essentials.”

Armie glanced at her cart that was overflowing with various items including hot dog buns, bags of Halloween candy, dented Campbell’s soup cans, and tampons. She was horrified by the realization and struggled to move herself in his line of sight so he wasn’t staring down a Kotex box. His blue eyes crept up to meet hers with a wicked grin, “Having a party?”

They were indeed hosting a community party for Halloween on the apartment building rooftop deck complete with grilling, pumpkin decorating, and costume contests for different age groups. Amanda had been excited at the concept which had only excited Rachel even more. She had never hosted a Halloween party before despite always wanting to. Her ex husband was not a fan of hosting any get togethers whatsoever so they never did. She was happy to no longer be held back by his wants. It was her time to have fun with it. In fact, it had taken several days of late night sewing to finish their costumes. She was excited to see the outcome.

“I am, actually. Why? Wanna come?”

She could tell the offer was surprising to him as he muddled over the idea. Was it weird to invite a complete stranger to your Halloween party? They would find out. She was pleased with his acceptance of the invitation, though, and remained giddy long after they had exchanged numbers and left one another’s sight. What he hadn’t seen was her flushed cheeks nor the pulsing of the vein in her neck as her heart continued to pound. Armie was a very attractive man, that was obvious, but the attraction she felt to him was caused by more than his appearance. She found his drawling voice extremely sexually stimulating. She would probably turn into a puddle at his feet if he had remained for a minute longer than necessary.

She left the store as quickly as possible with arms heavily laden by bags. She still needed to pick Rowan up from daycare and start dinner before her blind date started at seven. Amanda had hooked her up with one of her brother’s friends. His name was Garrett and he, evidently, was Pre-Med at Stanford. Rachel was not particularly confident about this date. Doctors didn’t want to date single moms who still relied on their ex husband’s money to live and qualified for low income housing assistance. He probably was a trust fund baby born with a silver spoon in one hand and a wad of hundred dollar bills in the other. Rich right from the womb: she could not remotely relate.

The drive to Little Miracles was quick and painless. She returned home with a chattering Rowan in tow who was really blossoming socially from almost daily daycare and socialization with other kids her own age. At almost three she would be ready to potty train soon. After that she would move up a level into an older classroom which made her mother slightly nervous all over again. It had finally grown effortless dropping off and picking up the rowdy toddler for she was always excited to see her teachers and friends. She didn’t even wave goodbye anymore. Talk about motherly heartbreak. Toddlers were little savages.

Amanda came over for dinner with Leo and an overnight bag in tow ready to spend the night gossiping about Garrett. Rachel made dinner for them all before stepping into the shower and starting on her makeup. It was 6:40 when she left for Nobu in Beverly Hills. Sushi was not her favorite food by any means, but she knew Nobu was very popular amongst the well to do in Hollywood. Garrett had picked the restaurant and she went along with it without argument. She was too reserved to even bother telling him that burgers and fries would work just fine. If he wanted to impress her then, well, he could try.

She arrived right on time which was typical. She hated being late to anything in life, especially dates, and it was the first bad sign when she was seated immediately without Garrett. Her phone read 7:02 which wasn’t terribly late. She could forgive him for being a few minutes tardy even if it made her eye twitch in aggravation. It wasn’t until the clock read fifteen after seven that she started to get angry. She had been stood up at a restaurant that she had absolutely no interest in. 

Un-freaking-believable. 

Rachel refused to allow the night to be wasted even if the prices on the menu made her heart practically stop in her chest. She told the waiter that her date had bailed and she apologetically had allowed her to move to the bar area to sit alone. Rachel did not drink, ever, but tonight she made an exception ordering a cocktail with an appetizer order of ceviche which was about the only raw fish preparation she could handle. Mid dip with a taro chip she was interrupted by peals of obnoxious laughter as a group of very young twenty somethings dropped into a booth nearby. She aggressively chewed ice in irritation until she noticed a pair of familiar ocean eyes glancing her way from two seats down at the bar. He shuffled down the row making a grand gesture with his arms in greeting, “Fancy seeing you here. Are you stalking me?”

She snorted and rolled her eyes not in the mood to joke with him about her stalking capabilities. Her cheeks flushed despite her efforts, though, because she had actually tried to find him on Facebook earlier that day. Nothing had populated for his name minus some pages for the United States Army which had made her laugh. Nonetheless, she was actually quite relieved to see him there. He was wearing a dark burgundy tone suit with a white shirt that contrasted beautifully with the tan skin of his throat. There was no tie around his neck and the top three buttons remained undone on his button down showing off a scattering of wiry chest hair. His hair was artfully tousled falling against his forehead boyishly. Everything about him was oh so very appealing to the senses. He even smelled good; faintly of crisp linen and citrus. The thought of his naked body covered in nothing but stark white sheets raced through her mind. She flushed even more and sipped once again at the fruity condensating drink. It had obviously been too long since her last sexual encounter. She blamed the blood rush entirely on the alcohol.

“This is definitely more your scene than mine. I feel like a lump of coal amongst diamonds right now. I was supposed to meet someone here but they stood me up.”

“You and me both.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, but the look in his eyes made her snap her jaw shut quickly. He was not joking. She immediately felt like the worst sort of person, “Well, for all it’s worth I think she is an idiot. Any woman who would stand you up is an absolute moron.”

“My friends talked me into downloading Tinder recently. I’m kind of relieved, truthfully, because dating isn't my thing. I hate trying to impress the opposite sex with expensive wine and boring halfhearted conversation. I never should have agreed to meet her anyway.”

Rachel smiled at him in what she hoped was a soothing way, but words escaped her. She truthfully did not know how to respond to his thoughts though they resigned greatly within her soul. Dating was not remotely enjoyable. It was something she had been doing for the past year hoping to find some sort of connection out there. The dating pool in Utah had been slim, but here in California it was just overwhelming. There were so many more men to choose from, but the way they presented themselves was not up to her standards. She wasn’t rushing to find love, a step father for her child, or even sex. Connections were the number one thing she craved. She desired the feeling of being desired more than anything else. She, along with a majority of the female population, had no issues getting off on their own for sex to be a necessity. The only thing she ever missed was physical touch.

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while sharing the platter of ceviche and sipping their refilled drinks. They ordered dinner entrees together, pondering over a single menu. She couldn’t decide between the Wagyu or the sea bass so she ordered both. She figured they could share. Armie finally settled on several maki rolls and sashimi.

“You’re disgusting,” she grimaced watching him dip the rolls into ponzu sauce with a pair of chopsticks. He had laughed at her disgust before trying to get her to try it, “C’mon. It’s not even a raw one. You’ll love it, I swear.”

He held the roll out to her waiting patiently. She finally gathered the nerve to take it into her mouth from his outstretched chopsticks trying not to gag at the texture. The taste wasn’t bad, actually, but the texture of the seaweed just wasn’t her thing. He respected her trying something new and nibbled from her plate of hot sliced Wagyu beef. When they were done he magically had already paid the staggering bill much to her outright disapproval.

“The Wagyu alone was eighty dollars!” she whined as they stood together outside. He was amused by the pouting tone in her voice and her arms crossed like a child having a tantrum across her chest. He justified it by claiming, “I ate like half of it anyway.”

“Be prepared for me to cover the bill the next time then.”

“Oh,” he smirked and she immediately knew where she went wrong with her wording. It was already on the tip of his tongue, “so there will be a next time?”

The air was humid and electric around them. Despite her brain seemingly going a million miles per hour she was able to play it cool as she answered his question with a coy, “Maybe.”

It was only after she had ordered an Uber home that he asked her if she wanted to come by his place to watch a movie she had politely declined. She wasn’t sure if Armie felt the same electricity in the air as she did, but she knew they would both make mistakes if left to their own buzzed devices in the privacy of his very expensive and very quiet Tudor mansion in Hancock Park. He agreed to share the Uber with her since she could be dropped off on the way. She insisted on paying, of course, which made him chuckle. They squeezed into the back of the Uber sedan quite uncomfortably though Armie didn’t complain. When they arrived at her apartment building Armie had insisted on walking her to the door. He was really pushing the gentleman card hard, but Rachel let him. She enjoyed the attention as they walked to the elevator together, his hand swinging purposely close to her own. He kept his distance in the confines of the lift letting her press the button for her floor. He mentally stashed away to memory that the number was two. Who was the stalker now?

He admired the paintings on either side of the long hallway as they approached her door. Another number to commit to memory: 402. Floor 2. That would be easy enough to recall, though with how drunk he was that might present itself as being a harder feat later in time entirely. He watched as she unlocked the door admiring now the curve of her backside in the tight fitting dress she had worn tonight. It made his stomach flip to think how some ignorant imbecile had left her hanging at a restaurant all by herself halfway across town. If he ever learned who the prick was he would slug him. In reality her date’s ignorance just might have been the best thing to happen to him in recent months. Something about the doe eyed woman before him intoxicated him. He could tell that they shared the same sort of witty humor. Similar vocabulary and intellect. It made for riveting conversation when she wasn’t so withdrawn into her mind like right now in this moment. He couldn’t help but look at her pink painted lips. God, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her until they both were drunk on the other instead of just Bourbon.

She wouldn’t give him that opportunity, though. 

“Thanks for walking me up,” she said breathily. Their close proximity was doing strange things to her mind. She would hate herself for it later but she did the only thing she could think to do: she offered him her hand to shake.

“The pleasure was mine.” He retorted, the laughter apparent in his rumbling chest. He clasped her fingers lightly in his own grasp and pumped for a short moment before stepping closer slightly, bending at the waist, and kissed the skin of her hand. She pulled away quickly like she’d been scorched by fire. She cleared her throat, took one long look at him, and whispered a quick goodnight before opening the door and sliding inside. Her heart was racing in her chest as she fell back against the heavy wood. When she looked through the peephole, though, Armie was gone leaving only a burning in her soul behind in his wake where his lips had brushed her skin.


	4. Khal Drogo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally planned on staggering my chapters to where the timeline correlated with 2020, but as you can see I kind of got ahead of myself a little bit as I'm already in October in my mind. Oops, it is what it is. Just go along with it.

Halloween came the following Saturday bringing with it a sudden burst of cool late afternoon weather that gracefully continued on into the evening hours. Rachel had worked that morning but was happy to be off for the nightly festivities. She had spent the last hour making witch’s fingers which were essentially just breadsticks colored green by dye. Each featured an almond at the top to mimic a fingernail. She thought they were quite clever. The party wouldn’t start until closer to seven after trick or treating was over with for their younger brood. Amanda and she had taken the toddlers out into the neighborhood to gather candy. The pair had passed Armie’s home, but the lights were out. He had promised to come to the party, though. They had been constantly texting about costumes since their kind of, sort of Nobu date. Rachel had kept the details to herself when Amanda had asked how the night had gone saying Garrett stood her up, but she had a good time all the same. Amanda didn’t pry.

Rachel took a moment to check her makeup in the hall mirror. One of her false lashes needed glue, but otherwise it looked presentable enough. Amanda had helped her with the wig application earlier in the day so it looked incredible. If she didn’t know better she’d think the platinum blonde was real. She made a very passable Daenerys Targaryen. Now all she needed was her dragon who was currently napping in her bedroom. Mother of Dragons indeed. A shrill ringing sounded from the foyer bringing her gaze to the door. Arlo was quick to jump up and make a mad dash for the entryway. She held onto his collar with one hand and opened the door with the other. The sight beyond made a sound of surprised elation escape from her lips, “Oh my god.”

“My queen,” Armie greeted from underneath the faux beard glued to his existing facial hair. It ended in an elastic halfway down his throat. Armie had decided to dress in a mixture of worn brown leather and aged metal as the Khal Drogo to her Daenerys. He wore a wig tied back into one long braid along his bare back. The costume was over the top, but what more could she expect from him? Armie continued to surprise her.

“You did not.”

“Oh, indeed I did. You look stunning as always. The blonde suits you,” He grinned, closing the door with a heavy hand behind him as he stepped into the confines of her tiny apartment. He greeted Arlo with genuine enthusiasm making him leap and twist in excitement. He couldn’t help but look around as he had never been within her apartment before. She gave him a quick door avoiding Rowan’s room entirely, “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

“No, it’s great. Very nice. I could easily move back into a condo. Saves you from having to clean an extra thousand square feet of unused space.” She could only imagine the sarcastic horror of having to clean his home, gasp, but kept her lips glued, “I think Arlo would love an extra thousand square feet of space to run in, huh bud?”

“You can come by any time with him. I have a huge yard, and I actually have a dog of my own. Archie, that’s his name. Though he is much smaller than this guy is.”

“Most dogs are,” she smiled, patting the dog on the head. Armie let his hand graze hers, “I’m glad you invited me tonight.”

Rachel opened her mouth to respond but was cut short by an illegible exclamation from Rowan’s bedroom where she had woken. The perfect excuse to leave the words behind so she could instead breathe heavily in the privacy of her daughter’s bedroom for a long moment. A quick diaper change later and the trio were on their way to the elevator to the rooftop deck where the party would be held. She was nervous because she had failed to tell Amanda many details about the man at her side. The man who had decided last minute to dress to match her and Rowan’s costume choices. He even took the tiny toddler into his arms when she reached up to be carried without a second thought. Armie was a natural, it seemed, juggling Rowan while pressing buttons for the elevator as her own hands were full. He didn’t even balk when she started rubbing her chubby baby hands against the fake hair on his chin in complete fascination.

The deck was buzzing as they exited revealing a spattering of swimmers enjoying the heated water in the pool and others clustered around folding tables. Amanda’s brother was too busy grilling burgers and hotdogs to acknowledge her greeting beyond a quick nod. She deposited the witch’s fingers on a nearby table and looked around the crowd for her friend. She was surprised when Armie connected their fingers to avoid getting seperated. She clutched his palm firmly back and led the way to where Amanda was standing drinking a beer. Leo was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, babes!” Amanda was quick to greet her. The brunette was quick to notice Armie hovering behind her and equally as such to spy the loose connection of their hands. She quirked a brow with a smirk raising the amber bottle to her ruby red lips. Oh, Rachel was sure that she would hear it later for keeping obvious secrets. There hadn’t been much to tell besides countless flirty texts and the one sort of date. She had been keeping Armie at an arm’s distance in fear of getting too attached too quickly, yet here he was carrying her child around a party like Rowan was his own. There was a moment of quick embarrassment that flared through her.

“We’re going to grab something to eat,” Rachel spoke trying to make a quick getaway to the snack table. Truthfully she was starving despite eating her weight in breadsticks earlier in the day. Everything looked so good, though, so she couldn’t help but load two plates full for them all to share, depositing a smaller portioned plate in a picnic table for Rowan. Armie quickly sat her down to eat, coming to stand by his date’s side snagging chips from the paper plate she held.

“I’m going to get absolutely grilled by her later. I know it.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute.”

Their night continued on without any lull in conversation and without an ounce of awkwardness. They stumbled around the crowd dancing, chatting with neighbors, and drinking from unmarked cups of booze laden fruit punch dyed neon green. There was a point where she went back to the apartment to deposit Rowan for bed leaving Armie behind to his own means. He would be fine for a couple of minutes. Amanda would probably find some way to corner him. That was another thing she did not doubt in the slightest. Amanda was a lot of things, but she was incredibly devoted to her friends and their happiness. She felt semi protective of Rachel and Rowan knowing how much emotional turmoil they had been through in only the last several years. If it weren’t for him being alone up there on the deck she probably would have never returned herself. She was exhausted, and Arlo needed to be taken outside to potty. He would be content in his kennel for a few more hours, though, so she returned to Armie to save him from being drilled by Amanda’s brother. The same brother who had hooked her up with his flakey as fuck friend. Justin had shitty taste in friends obviously. She had been surprised upon arrival, though, to find Armie playing a rowdy game of beer pong with Justin and Annika, his current girlfriend. In those few moments alone he had already been openly accepted into the group. Rachel leaned back against the tall enclosing wall with a smile playing on her lips.

“You have some explaining to do, sis,” Amanda whispered, making her jump in fright. The muscular brunette wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulders as they watched the beer pong game with interest, “All I have to say is: damn.”

“I know,” Rachel breathed. Her face blazed with heat. She wouldn’t help the word vomit that spilled from her lips, “He is something else. I like him, Amanda. A lot.”

“Well, my dear, there is only one thing to do then,” she leaned in close to Rachel’s ear and breathed drunkenly, “ride it, ride it allllll nighttttt.”

Rachel shoved at her causing a series of laughter from them both. If only she truly knew how often she really thought about riding it all night. Watching Armie there having fun on his own was enough to determine that her feelings were valid. She couldn’t help but wonder how he felt. Did he feel the same way about her? Did he crave her touch as much as she did his own? Something in his gaze as their eyes met told her exactly what she needed to know.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As much as she wanted to, she didn’t sleep with him that night. Or the next night. Or the night after that. Armie had fallen asleep on her couch only waking with eyes bleary the next morning to her making breakfast in the kitchen as quietly as possible. She hadn’t meant to wake him, and was surprised when he got to his feet and joined her at the island to fry bacon and eggs on the griddle. It had come to be known through casual conversation that he was a self proclaimed chef and loved to cook. It was something special they both shared that resulted in countless nights together sharing the stove, cutting boards, and knives both at his own house and her apartment. They enjoyed long Fall nights watching Arlo and Archie run in the grassy backyard of his private home. Rowan was still slightly unsure of Armie, but had taken to him more quickly than most others including Amanda. Rachel briefly wondered if he reminded her of her father. After all Armie was fully embracing No Shave November and had grown a quite impressive beard practically overnight.

“Do not even!” She had shrieked as he hovered over her on the plush sofa. He had shoved his bearded face into her neck making her squeak in laughter shoving him away. It was all effortless for he was a giant and she was physically unable to move him even with all her strength focused on it. In all their time together he had never once tried to push them past the ease of friendship they had developed. It was all so simple wthout adding the extra emotions of sex into it. She didn’t know if he even wanted her in that way. Armie was so respectful with her. Gentle, caring, and all the other things she desired in a man. She could feel herself falling for him and it was terrifying, but exciting. She had decided not long ago that she was going to make a move herself until one seemingly normal November afternoon where Amanda had come to her apartment stone faced.

“Now, I don’t want you to panic,” she had started which abruptly caused the air to drain from her friend’s lungs. She didn’t know what to expect as Amanda pulled a glossy magazine from her oversized purse. She turned to a dog eared page that had obviously caught her attention. She was shocked when the picture was…. Her? But not just her. It was Armie and she that one night that seemed so long ago at Nobu where they shared plates of food and laughter. You couldn’t tell it was her unless you knew it, but Rachel knew. She was wearing the familiar high necked grey dress that hung in her closet. Someone had captured the moment Armie had playfully fed her sushi from his own chopsticks and pasted in there for all to see on page seventeen. She was actually appalled.

“Why?” was the only word to escape her lips. Amanda held the magazine just out of her reach as she went to grab for it, “You have to promise not to overreact. I’m sure he had a reason for not mentioning it. I’m upset, too, Rach.”

“Upset about WHAT, Mandy?!”

Her stomach plummeted when she read the article attached to the image. She felt bile crawling nauseously up her throat:

_Armie Hammer, 34, embraces his newly single lifestyle after July separation from wife, Elizabeth Chambers Hammer. Together they share two children: Harper, 5, and Ford, 3. Hammer shown below with an unnamed female date shared sushi and drinks at Nobu Beverly Hills. Is the hunk finally moving on after news of his upcoming divorce rocketed through Hollywood? More details on page thirty._

She was pissed. She was furious. She was sick at the thought. She excused herself from the kitchen to escape into the bathroom where she promptly vomited up acid and shed tears in private. How could he feign from sharing this information with her after all the time they had shared together? After she had spilled her soul to him about her own ruined marriage? It made her even more angry to think about how she had allowed her child to grow attached to him. He was still married for Christsake. He had kids. It all made so much sense, but none at all at the same time. Why would he hide this from her? She had to know.

So she found herself outside his house after texting him that it was urgent. She couldn’t tell if he had seen the tabloid in question or bothered to do a quick Google search on himself to see what was going on. She felt stupid because this explained why she couldn’t find him online. She had been spelling his name wrong for three damn months! He hadn’t even bothered to correct her.

He looked happy to see her which hurt even more so. She walked past him in furious quiet feeling the air crackle. He could tell something was up then and before his lying tongue could say anything she unleashed everything she had been thinking for the last forty five minutes. To his benefit he allowed it. Armie didn’t open his mouth to speak until she was fully quiet obviously spent emotionally, “Are you finished? Can I explain myself now?”

“What is there to explain? You lied to me for months!”

“I did not lie.”

“You’re married. You have kids! You never told me you had kids whatsoever.” She snapped in anger causing him to recoil.

“You never asked! And if you want me to be truthful I enjoyed just being Armie for once. I wasn’t Armand fucking Hammer. I never once lied to you. I just kept those things private because they were not important to our relationship in the moment. I always wanted to tell you about my kids. I didn’t know how to approach the conversation. Things between her and I have been long over. We haven’t been together romantically since JANUARY. And I was scared because I knew this would happen despite my feelings for you.”

“Armie,” she sighed, averting his azure gaze. He was standing much too close. She felt every breath he took against her warm cheeks as they stood there in pulsing silence, “I can’t. I think you’re a great guy. You’re incredibly handsome, and funny, and witty, and intelligent. You’re all the things I want in a guy.”

“But?” came his response. It had been almost a whisper. A fluttering of words passed over plush, enticing lips. She bit at her own lower lip, “But you’re married.”

“Separated,” he voiced, stepping even closer than before. Armie’s hands gripped her own tightly forcing her still. Her chin dropped as she stared at the floor trying hard to contain her emotions. Rachel had never been the other woman, but she refused. Mike had done that during their marriage. It was something she would never be able to live with herself for doing as a formerly scorned woman, “I told you that it was over long before the words were said between Elizabeth and I.”

“Why should I just believe that, Armie? I haven’t heard her side to know any better. I love you, but I don’t trust you.”

“You love me?” he croaked, making her chest constrict. The words had been meant to stay contained deep within the recesses of her mind. They were never to be uttered; at least of all now in this situation where her self control was already dwindling. Was it even really love? They had only known each other for such a short while. Maybe it was all too quick. His warm hands suddenly on her flushed skin entranced her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even think. All she felt was him. Armie Hammer was her kryptonite. There were no other words to describe the desperate tug in her stomach to be in his arms. To kiss him passionately, effortlessly melding their bodies together in an act of pure wanton desire.

“Don’t make me say it again. My heart cannot bear it,” she had made the choice just then in her mind to step back. She wanted to think about the conversation at hand. She needed time away from the temptation of his skin against her own. His hands dropped to his sides clenched into tight fists as she backed away like some spooked animal. A deer in the headlights. The lion and the lamb. It almost wrecked him to see the fear in her eyes. He stepped backwards to put a respectful distance between them. He immediately missed her warmth.

He drew in a long breath, “So this is it then?”

“Armie, this is all it ever could have been. I’m not the kind of woman who knowingly sleeps with married men. The feelings I have for you are so incredibly twisted right now. I refuse to be made out to be the villain in your divorce.”

“What are you talking about? None of my family or friends would ever think that.”

“You’re forgetting the rest of the world. The press, the paparazzi, and even the fans who adore you. I will be made out to be the villain of Elizabeth’s story. I will be the other woman and nothing more regardless of the truth. No,” she shook her head and made the motion to leave, “I won’t.”

He made a decision in that moment that would shock them both, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t just let her leave like this. He was not ready to let the feelings between them fade as quickly as they had come to be. He leaned down in that moment and took her into his broad arms pressing his eager mouth against her own.

He kissed her.


	5. The Beginning

Kissing her was a mistake. He immediately knew it, but their lips were already connected before he could correct himself. He was actually shocked when she slapped him. Hard. Her palm had met his face with a resounding smack leaving him after she had left with a bruised cheekbone and an even more so bruised ego. Nobody was more shocked than she was, though, for she was not the type to blindly strike another person no matter how sad, angry, or upset she may be. She had been remorseful but didn’t regret hitting him. Was it bad of her to say that he deserved it?

It had taken every ounce of willpower within her soul to leave. She returned home to her quiet apartment and asked Amanda to leave. She wasn’t ready to talk about it, she had told her. Amanda immediately understood and was not upset. Quite the opposite, in fact. She returned the next morning with a Venti Starbucks drink for Rachel and to take Rowan for the day so she could sleep in and have some much needed personal time. She had decided to get a mani/pedi in the end because it had been entirely too long. Her feet were suffering big time. She savored the hot stone foot massage, the wax application, and the orange scented oils rubbed into her skin. She had gotten her toes painted oxblood red, the same color as her fingers. The salon had completely rejuvenated her. She’d have to thank Amanda.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was to arrive home to a flower delivery waiting on her welcome mat. She already knew who the flowers were from before even bothering to read the card attached: 

Forgive me?   
Yours, Armie

But she was not ready to forgive. Not yet, at least. The flowers were lovely. A beautiful mixture of roses, hydrangeas, and small flowers she did not know the name of surrounded by bundles of baby's breath and greenery. Rachel loved flowers having worked for a florist in her late teens. It seemed like so very long ago. She didn’t bother texting Armie about the flowers. The next day she awoke to someone at the door with yet another floral arrangement this time featuring vivid yellow sunflowers. The note read much the same. This continued on for several days until her kitchen was practically overflowing with vases of various sizes and flowers of all colors. She texted him to stop sending flowers. He did. He switched to Edible Arrangements instead. Despite all her anger she could not help but laugh.

“Tell him that he can send me chocolate covered strawberries any day,” Amanda had voiced, sitting at the counter popping chocolate dipped fruits from their picks offering smaller pieces to Rowan and Leo. They still had not had an in depth conversation about Armie but Amanda knew already without her friend having to say the words. The feelings had been clear across her face from the moment she had seen them together on Halloween. His, too. Armie was just better at hiding it. Acting, after all, was his profession. That was largely why Rachel had a hard time believing his apology was genuine.

She walked Arlo one day the week after their fight and her mind must have been clouded causing her feet to bring her to Hancock Park. It bothered her how much she missed him. What happened to the strong, independent divorcee who didn’t need a man in her life to make her happy? Admittedly those proclamations had been made long before Armie Hammer had waltzed into her life. She tracked back home after cutting through the golf course to void his house entirely. The effort was futile, though, for when she returned he was standing on her door mat waiting. She suddenly felt breathless. Dizzy. Lightheaded.

His eyes traced her face as she approached, “Hey.”

“Hi,” she whispered back, quirking her lips into some vague resemblance of a smile. She shouldn’t be happy to see him: but she was. They both spoke at the same time, the same exact words leaving their lips to fill the hall, “I missed you.”

His own mouth curled into a grin making her shake her head in humor, “Why are you here, stalker?”

“Well, I missed you. Obviously. That and you didn’t seem to be too impressed by my Edible Arrangements so I figured personal delivery was the best option for ultimate satisfaction.”

“And if I’m still unsatisfied?”

He frowned, hands in the pockets of his denim jacket. He cocked his head to the side looking so deep into her eyes that she swore he was reading her mind. They remained in silence as she unlocked the door, allowing Armie to slip in with her and pet Arlo’s ears.

“I don’t know what else to do, Rachel.”

“Nothing,” she snapped stepping away from him and into the kitchen. She braced her hands against the counter as her nostrils flared in frustration, “You can do nothing.”

He was quiet for a long moment as her eyes swept over the polished granite following the veins with her fingers. She hadn’t even heard him approaching until he was right behind her, hands braced on either side of her body with their pinky fingers brushing. The breath on the nape of her neck was intoxicating. He hunched forward and brought his forehead to the dome of her skull resting it there for a long moment as they continued to just breathe. Her fingers shifted on the counter top tracing along the edge and up his arm to hold onto him firmly as if she were scared he would disappear if she let go. Her fingers stroked at his palm bringing their clasped hands to her face to tender cradle her cheek. He could feel the tears already streaking down her skin. She turned, hand still pressing his own to her face, and looked up at him with wet aqua eyes. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He brought his other hand up to cup her face tilting her head back even further. He searched her eyes for some notion of the word no, but found nothing but acceptance and want. She made the move before he could, stepping up onto her tip toes and softly pressing her mouth against his own.

They took it slowly, sipping from one another with delicious tenderness until they were both wanting more. So much more. Her hands had wrapped around his neck, his own on her hips lifting her up onto the counter top with ease. He didn’t want to rush this, but it was so hard when she was touching him like this filling his mind with impure thoughts, wants, and desires. He wanted nothing more than to carry her to the bedroom and devour her wholly. It was getting too heated, so he pulled away leaving them both panting. Raw hunger permeated the air around them.

“I don’t want to stop, but I know you will regret this come tomorrow if we don’t.”

She rested her head against his broad chest listening to the gentle, rhythmic thumping of his heart. He was right. She felt a pang in her chest for not being able to stop herself. Her self control had gotten away from her. She was thankful that he had enough respect for her to say no himself. 

“Nobody can know.”

He immediately understood what she was getting at, and he agreed. Not for sake of hiding their love but for her safety. The safety of her child. They would keep it hushed for now, “No, nobody needs to know.”

They settled into a steady rhythm of life together. Armie was experiencing an intended lull in productivity instead choosing to spend the free months unwinding, meeting with his divorce attorney, golfing, and traveling very lightly. Nothing like in the past when he would jet to and from New York in 24 hours for press. When Rachel was busy he found himself quite lonely. He chose to ride his Vespa, read, listen to his very eclectic Spotify playlists whilst working out, but he mostly sat around missing his kids. He could never tell his girlfriend that sometimes being around her child made those pains a little harder to ignore. It wasn’t her fault, though, that his estranged wife was still hiding out in Grand Cayman.

It was just before Rowan’s birthday on the fourteenth when Rachel had passed her cosmetology licensing exam. She was at that point forward licensed to professionally do makeup and cut hair. They celebrated by ordering Chinese takeout. Armie was her first “client” having paid her in kisses for a buzzcut much to her agony. He had an interview that same day and he was happy to showcase his shaven head for the world to see. Otherwise her days were spent at Sephora working hard as a manager while she dreamed up her future business endeavors. Armie offered to help, but she would never accept his help in that way. This was her decision to make. She was undecided as to whether she would focus on opening a full service salon of her own or do makeup for weddings and other events. Once again he had offered his assistance in getting her on doing makeup for film sets. He had the connections, after all, “So let me use them.” She had to say no. The last thing she needed was to be accused of using him for his money or professional friendships. She knew the press would call her a gold digger for it. No thanks.

Even though she didn’t mind him doing such things, she also refused to spend the night at his house. She didn’t want to be photographed leaving his house either so it was a constant effort to sneak in and out. Her apartment was the safer choice, but Armie had the private pool and the yard which Arlo loved. He had never swam before until the first day there when he chased a ball into the water. Luckily Armie also had a decent selection of toys for Rowan to sort through to her heart’s content leaving them to cuddle on the couch, watch a movie, or cook dinner together. He was particularly talented on the grill impressing her with perfectly seared steaks and salmon on cedar planks. There were things that she made that he loved as well, though, like gumbo or banana pudding. They took turns cooking and cleaning which was a nice change of pace.

They were also taking things slow. Almost too slowly, but she was eager for his divorce to be finalized before they actually had sex. That didn’t mean they couldn’t mess around. It was inevitable that they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. She enjoyed the teasing more than she would ever admit. She was making it her top priority to find his sweet spot. That one little spot on his body that would cause him to go nuts. Thus far she had been unsuccessful. He found hers very easily, though, with not much effort on his part. She loved for her neck to be bitten. He gladly obliged. Armie also was incredibly turned on by how warm her skin always was. He constantly craved her hands on his skin because of it.

There were some incredibly close calls where she almost gave into the temptation. Hell, they’d have to be saints to not be tempted by one another. It was getting increasingly hard for her to be satisfied with just being held in his strong arms at night. She settled for the next best thing: oral sex, and oh boy. It was something else entirely. She had always enjoyed it with other partners, but it was different with him. Effortless. She knew his body so well at that point that bringing him to release was almost too easy. When he did the same to her she swore that she saw fireworks on her bedroom ceiling. She found herself thinking about him constantly. Wanting him around constantly. It took all her willpower to not become that clingy, cringey girlfriend. 

Amanda was supportive of their relationship, but torn between being protective of her friend and impressed that she had bagged a celebrity within four short months of living in Los Angeles. She could thank Arlo for that. The dog was none the wiser to just how much that one bolting excursion through Hancock Park had changed their lives.

Thankfully it was only the beginning.


	6. No Brad Pitt

Flying alone with a two year old shouldn’t be as hard as it was. Unfortunately Rachel found herself doing just that two weeks later in order to bring Rowan back to Utah for Thanksgiving. It was also something foolishly laid out in their custody agreement. She was just lucky that the flight took all of an hour. An hour of forcing a tantrum having toddler into an airline seat while trying your best to bribe them with snacks and an iPad. Motherhood was interesting. Her dad was going to have a great time trying to fly back with her in one piece. That was none of her business, though. Her sole responsibility was to drop Rowan off, tearfully say goodbye, and return to California for two long weeks without her daughter. It wasn’t fair.

She had been sitting in the terminal waiting for their flight to start boarding when someone sat down heavily next to her. She didn’t even need to look to know it was Armie who always carried the familiar scent of citrus with him. It was his cologne, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Going to Salt Lake City evidently.”

“You are crazy,” she smiled up at him and laid her head against his shoulder happy to see him. His hand had gone to her chin to playfully nudge it, “Yeah, crazy about you.”

“Lameeee.”

This was so typical of him, though, to surprise her in this way so she didn't have to fly by herself. Rowan was equally as excited to see him instantly wanting to be on his lap with her bag of Cheez-its in tow. She occupied herself by eating and rubbing the hair on his arms contentedly. Rachel was paranoid about paparazzi, but Armie assured her that nobody would notice him. He was no Brad Pitt after all.

“Nah, you’re taller.”

“That is indeed true.”

When the gate attendants started calling for boarding they went on first to settle in with Rowan. Much to their luck flying Southwest meant they could choose their own seats. They chose a row towards the front of the plane so departing would be quick once they landed in Utah. Just as predicted, an hour later they were landing. Rowan was sleeping so Armie carried her through the airport with his backpack safely on his back. Rachel carried a duffel for Rowan containing her favorite toys and warm clothing. She had forgotten how cold Utah was and regretted not wearing something warmer than a light cardigan with leggings. Armie was equally out of luck in joggers and a v neck white tee. They waited impatiently by the luggage carousel for the carseat.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” He had asked in another line for the rental car. She shook her head. She wasn’t hungry at all. She just wanted to get this drop off over with. She was far from excited at the thought of seeing her ex. Her palms began to sweat, “Nah, I’m too nauseous to eat.”

They loaded into the silver Nissan with Rachel at the wheel since she had actually driven here before to know the way to her ex-husband's house. The house they had once shared in the southern valley. She hated the house now. It held nothing for her but bad memories of constant anger and abuse. Armie’s hand drifted comfortingly to her knee and squeezed. She was actually glad for his presence. She didn’t know, however, how Mike would react to him. There should be zero reaction truthfully. They were legally divorced and had been for a long while. She was free to do as she pleased with whom she wanted. He would possibly see it that way. Possibly not. The sweat was already starting to form under her arms despite the chill.

“We should just drive back.”

“To LA?” she answered in surprise, glancing out the corner of her eye to see him nod eagerly, “Yeah! I mean, I love to roadtrip.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me in the slightest?”

She hated driving for long periods of time. She got bored too easy in the passenger seat, too, but she would agree to it for him if that’s what he wanted. The only issue she saw was her lack of clothing, “I didn’t bring anything with me, though. Literally just the clothes on my back.”

“Don’t worry about clothes. Plus, it only takes 13 hours max to get back home from here? I mean depending on what way we go. What is the worst that could happen?”

It was true that the drive was pretty straight forward. It was boring as hell for a majority of it, but it was beautiful. She wouldn’t mind taking her time and stopping to take in the canyons in Arizona or gamble in Las Vegas. It had been years since she had done any of those things. They would have to talk about it later, though, because she could see the freeway exit ramp approaching. It was such a bittersweet feeling to see the community where she had lived, made friends, and went to church. It was all the same minus the addition of another massive tower of apartments. It stood out like a sore thumb amongst the townhomes in the area. She drove past her church and turned into the drive to the townhomes. On the left five units down stood the blue door where she had brought Rowan home for the first time. The bushes were trimmed nicely. Flowers had been planted on either side of the paved walkway. She felt her stomach twist at the thought of him and his girlfriend planting them together. She briefly wondered if he was still dating the girl he had cheated on her with. 

She parked the car in a visiting spot next to the neighbor’s black Toyota. For a moment she thought that she was going to hyperventilate or even puke. One look into Armie’s eyes and she knew that she wouldn’t: because he was there to comfort her and make her feel secure. She laughed, making his eyes widen, “What?”

“It’s just-” she gestured to the door still finding humor in the situation, “I never thought I’d be bringing my boyfriend to Utah. To the house where I used to live. To see my ex husband in person. God has a wonderful sense of humor.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he joked back, They shared a glance as he held her hand in his own. He ran his fingertips over her palm soothingly, “Do you want me to walk up with you?”

The thought terrified her, in all honesty, but knowing he was standing there protecting her? Yeah, she would like that. Not to mention the look on her ex’s face when he saw Armie standing there? Oh man.

“Yeah, I do actually. I want him to see how happy I am without him. I want to prove him wrong. I want him to know that someone loves me as much as I love them. I want to rub it all in his face.”

“Let’s do it then.”

It was those words that gave her the courage to leave the confines of the rental car. She would be leaving the car seat with Mike so she unbuckled Rowan and let Armie grab it from the backseat. They climbed the cement steps together with him lingering just a step behind her. Close enough to be there for support but also far enough from her ex’s threshold to be respectful of his space. Rachel doubted they would be welcomed inside. In all the years they had lived together Mike had never wanted guests in the house. Well, unless he was sleeping with them. But that was another story entirely. They stood there for an awkward minute after she had pressed the button on the new Ring doorbell system he must have installed after they left. Armie rested his hand on her hip from behind giving her a light squeeze. Then the door swung open.

He didn’t look much different. Still as slobbish as always in basketball shorts and a worn Bob Marley shirt that she knew had holes in the armpit. He obviously wasn’t trying to impress her. That or he had forgotten they flew in today. Either way he didn’t look excited, and she didn’t blame him. They didn't like being this close to one another. She momentarily wished she had dropped Rowan off with his mother instead.

“Hey, here she is,” Was all she said after kissing her child’s head and whispering a solemn goodbye, passing the sleepy toddler from her arms to her father’s along with the duffel bag. Rachel could just barely see into the apartment. It looked the same as well minus the new rug in the living room. “Do you still have the cat?”

“He’s around here somewhere.”

“Oh,” she said awkwardly. She rubbed at her arms in the cold not having much else to say, “Well, I hope she has a good time. I brought her seat just in case you needed one.”

It was then that he noticed Armie standing behind her and the expression on his face was one she would forever commit to memory. She was smug about it. She tried not to let it show on her face, but she knew he was peeved. It was hard to ignore Armie’s six foot five existence on his doorstep. Mike looked from him to her and then back to him lingering on how he was holding Rowan’s carseat in one hand, “Yeah, I’ll need it.”

Armie pushed past her ever so slightly to place it gently on the doormat. That was another thing that hadn’t changed. The words still read in faded letters: ‘Hello’ on one side and when flipped ‘Goodbye’. She didn’t know if she should introduce them but luckily Armie took that into his own hands by offering one baseball mit of a hand to Mike, “Hey, man. Armie.”

“Mike. Nice to meet you.”

Oh, she was loving this entirely too much. It was growing increasingly awkward though so they decided to say their goodbyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of him so she started back to the car. Armie reached for her hand holding it tightly, “Want me to drive?”

“Yes. Just get me out of here. Please?”

So he did just that driving back the way they had come from. There had been a large shopping center with multiple restaurants to choose from. He took it into his own hands to choose one since he was getting hungry anyway. He pulled into Texas Roadhouse and let the car idle. He wasn’t expecting her to laugh again, but she did, “Oh my GOD. Did you see the look on his freaking face? Have I mentioned how much I love you recently?”

“I wouldn’t mind hearing it again,” he chuckled leaning over to peck her lips gently, “And again.” Another kiss this time with more passion behind it, “And again.”

“I am oddly turned on right now.” She laughed making him choke on his saliva gracefully. He retorted back to just say the word and they could turn this car right around. She shook her head, kissing his cheek sweetly, “No, you brought me to Texas Roadhouse! Nobody in their right mind can turn down Texas Roadhouse.”

He hit the wheel in mock anger, “God dammit, I’ve made a mistake.”

So they walked to the building in the late afternoon Utah sunshine, arms around one another, smiling and laughing. She fell more in love with him every minute. Unbeknownst to her he had the same mindset, and it scared him to death, but watching her laugh with the hostess as they waited to be seated reassured him that he had made the right choice. She would always be the right choice.


	7. Where Is The Lamb Sauce?

Turns out that a lot could actually happen in thirteen hours. She still didn’t know what drove her to willingly agree to driving almost eight hundred miles with a guy that she, frankly, had only known for roughly four months. She had just recently found out that he snored like a bear in his sleep and refused to wear shoes most places. Not that she cared. She was currently barefoot in the passenger seat with her head lolled over onto the window. She was watching the scenery as they passed through the stretch between Mesquite and Las Vegas. They were still debating on whether they wanted to stop for the night and enjoy the casinos. After that the next choice was Death Valley or driving through the Mojave Reserve. Armie was pushing for Death Valley, but she wanted to detour by Mojave to visit Joshua Tree. She had never been much to Armie’s surprise as it was one of his favorite places especially to ride motorcycles. They had so much to eventually explore together. It was thrilling to them both.

“I don’t even know how I got talked into this road trip,” she spoke suddenly, turning her head to eye him. His own eyes were concealed by a pair of mirrored Rayban sunglasses she had found in the deep recesses of her purse. She could see his eyebrows shoot up, “Because you have an extremely charming and persuasive boyfriend.”

“It’s so odd to hear you refer to yourself as my boyfriend.”

“Why? Would you prefer for me to call myself your sugar daddy? Because I can do that, too.”

She knew it was a joke, but it kind of hurt because that is exactly what the press would think of her. She wasn’t some gold digger after Armie’s money, though. She would want him even if he didn’t have a cent to his name. The situation would always be spun out of her favor. She had begun to think about Mike and wondered if he had recognized Armie as being a celebrity instead of just a random guy. It made her break out in a fierce sweat.

“What are you thinking?” Armie asked, touching her hand with his own. She relaxed as he continued to caress the soft skin between her thumb and pointer finger. She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed the back of his hand, “Nothing important.”

“Everything that goes through that beautiful mind of yours is important to me.”

“I was thinking about you and just… Do you think Mike knew who you were? Like would he spread gossip about us to be mean? I constantly worry about the press and how viciously they will attack our relationship.”

“I doubt he had an inkling as to who I was.” Armie said nonchalantly, “Besides, even if the press wrote about us: who cares? It’s just a bunch of words. They’d get bored with it eventually and find some other lie to write about like me being gay. That’s always a good one.”

“From what I’ve seen you’re hardly gay,” she couldn’t help but smirk into her palm. No, he was for sure not gay judging by how much he enjoyed her mouth on his… Like he could read her thoughts he bit out a curse that was half groan and half growl, “Don’t be starting something you can’t finish.”

But who was to say she couldn’t finish? And right there on the road with both of his hands white knuckled on the steering wheel he did as well.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They arrived in Vegas just after the sun had set. They had thrown hotel suggestions back and forth for the last twenty minutes before settling on the Four Seasons because apparently it was a good hotel chain. How would she know? The fanciest hotel she had ever stayed at was probably a Hilton DoubleTree. She would take his word for it. They checked in hand in hand with no bags between them and not a damn clue as to where to go from that point.

“Is this how the rich live?” she couldn’t help but ask in awe as they keyed into the suite which visibly amused Armie as he kicked off his shoes and socks. She had never seen anything quite like it before. She walked around opening doors and commenting on the grandeur, “This is bigger than my apartment. There are two freaking bathrooms!”

“I’m glad you like it,” he sighed, falling face first into the plush king bed with his face pressed into the nearest pillow. She sat down by his side and rubbed his tense shoulders making him groan in pleasure, “Are you tired?”

His head flipped to the side so he could look up at her fully enjoying the feeling of her fingers trailing along the nape of his neck up to the shell of one ear. He couldn’t help but nod, “I could use a nap before we grab some dinner.”

So she left him there in the suite room to sleep and drove to the outlet mall nearby. She wanted to surprise and even impress him by wearing something nice. She didn’t wear super nice clothing often, but she could handle dressing up for a night on the strip with him. The ‘something nice’ ended up being a mini dress she picked up from Saks Off 5th with a very daring neckline. She had mixed feelings about it, but there was something about the bottle green silk that spoke to her. The fitting room attendant said it contrasted beautifully with the reddish hue of her hair and made her eyes even more green than usual. At less than two hundred dollars it was too much of a deal to pass up. She grabbed a pair of budget friendly Calvin Klein nude pumps to wear with it after getting distracted at the beauty counter before heading to the register before she blew through any more of her money. She thought she was free and clear until she saw the signage for lingerie. Oh, she was definitely getting a little something to blow Armie’s mind with. She left the store in a delightful mood, shopping bags in hand.

Armie was sitting glued to his phone in the parlor area of the suite when he came back to their room. He held up a finger to let her know that he would be a moment before retreating into the bedroom for privacy. She frowned briefly wondering who was on the phone. She didn’t have much time to ponder as he came waltzing back to her moments later eyeing her bags with mild amusement, “I see that you’ve been busy.”

Rachel shrugged and leaned into him letting his chiseled arms wrap snugly around her midsection. He tilted his head downward for a lingering kiss making her slightly lightheaded, “What did you pick up?”

“That,” she started, shoving him back before he could pilfer through her purchases, “is for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Oh, I’ll find out alright.”

“I bet,” she smirked coyly before heading for the bedroom herself. Armie had been busy himself judging by the suit hanging on the hook inside the closet door. How he had time to obtain a Dior suit was beyond her. He explained as she undressed that a work connection had come in handy but didn’t elaborate any further. They decided to shower together to save time and water though she wasn’t sure how much water they actually conserved with how long they stood under the spray enjoying the warm water and each other’s company. It wasn’t even sexual just… sensual. He washed her hair letting his long fingers comb easily through the long silky tresses. Her eyes closed as he pressed a hot kiss to her shoulder blade. Nobody had ever cared for her like he did. Armie was so extremely attentive and tender. She felt every ounce of affection he held for her in the motion of his fingertips against her soft skin as he washed her body. He lingered like any man on her chest with soapy palms but didn’t ask for more. It was always her choice to let it go further. She returned the attention with her own scrubbing his scalp and shoulders as he let the water pound his face. Afterwards she couldn’t help but to watch him dress as she rubbed lotion onto her flushed skin. Sometimes she wondered what he was doing with her when he could have any number of beautiful models or actresses on his arm. He had told her once that he hated the fame that came with his name. She believed it.

Rachel made him wait in the other room with a glass of Scotch as she got ready hoping to surprise him with the short emerald dress. Her hair dried quickly with assistance from the hotel provided blow dryer falling in fine waves to frame her heart shaped face. She wished she had a straightener or anything else to style her hair with, but it would do. She did her makeup with a handful of samples swiped from the sympathetic beauty counter girl at Saks. A swipe of mascara and lip gloss, a tinge of sheer foundation, and a dab of perfume on each wrist. She added another dab to her neck and between her breasts. Time was getting away from her so she rushed to put on the new lingerie set she had chosen specifically with Armie in mind. Once the dress was over her head she had some brief doubts. 

“Okay,” she started stepping out from the bedroom and waving her hands around the skirt where it barely hit her mid thigh, “Is this too short? I feel like it’s too short. I’ve never worn something this revealing in my entire life.”  
He was quiet for a long moment which made her nervous until he got to his feet, swigging the rest of his drink with one gulp. His eyes were dark with lust as his hands came to rest on her hips curving down to cup her bottom and pull her in close, “I like it.”

“I can tell.” 

“I’d like it even better,” he started, bunching the material in his large hands making it rise up, “if it was on the floor.”

She giggled them as his hands came under the silk skirt to caress her lace covered bottom. She halfheartedly pushed him away before he could go any further letting the material fall back down against her bare thighs, “I paid entirely too much for this dress for it to just end up on the floor, sir.”

“I wish you had told me you were going shopping before you left. I would have paid for anything you needed. I’m the one who essentially dragged you along on a spur of the moment road trip.” He mumbled into her neck inhaling the sweet yet spicy scent of her perfume. Vanilla and clove. He had smelt it before back home. He liked when she came over and slept in his bed because long after she had left the scent still lingered behind on the sheets.

“It’s not a huge deal, Armie. You can spoil me at Lululemon later.”

“That’s a deal,” he smiled into her hair as she shoved him again rolling her eyes, “I was kidding.”

“I wasn’t.”

And they left it at that, leaving the hotel room in a rush to catch a dinner reservation. It wasn’t until they were down the block in the car that Armie told her where they were going. She couldn’t help but shriek in actual delight, “Oh my god, I cannot believe you.”

“Are you excited?” He teased, hanging a right into the parking lot as her eyes lit up seeing the giant sign for the restaurant. She snorted and got out of the Nissan once they reached valet service, “I’ve literally wanted to go here for years.”

They asked a valet to snap a few quick photos of them side by side in front of the Hell’s Kitchen sign with matching grins and conjoined hands. She asked quickly to take one of them from the back that she could post on social media later. She was always careful not to post Armie’s face, tattoos, or any discerning features to where someone would catch onto who he was. Not that she posted him super often because their relationship was still so new. He frequented her stories more so than her very private Instagram feed that consisted of mostly Rowan. She didn’t even think Armie followed her out of respect for privacy.

They were seated quickly at a requested private table close to the kitchens where they could watch the chefs cooking with rigor. It was completely fascinating and Rachel wished more institutions made a show of their kitchens in the same way. It gave her a whole new respect for the profession because it was bustling. She couldn’t help but let out a cheeky whisper of, “Where is the lamb sauce?”

The menu was straightforward because they had both watched the show together. They ordered differing appetizers and entrees so they could pick off of one another’s plates like they always did. Perks of being perpetually indecisive. Neither of them could ever settle on one thing so it gave them different options. A waiter filled their wine glasses as they patiently waited whilst continuing to watch the kitchen work at a fast pace.

“Have you given more thought to Death Valley?” she asked him, taking a sip of the blood red wine. She momentarily worried about it staining her teeth red but shrugged it off as being inevitable. Armie turned his head from where he faced the kitchen. He drummed his fingers across the tabletop in impatience, “Yeah. I mean, it’s up to you, babe. Joshua Tree is just as cool with me.”

Her stomach flipped at him calling her babe so freely. It made her cheeks tinge with blush. Luckily their appetizers arrived before she could continue to swoon. She cut into a seared scallop and turned a faux critical eye to it, analyzing it in a 360 degree spin on her fork, “The scallops? Beautifully seared.”

“You’re a nerd.” Armie chuckled, spooning lobster risotto into his mouth. She eyed his plate with interest and he, taking the hint, gathered some of his fork to taste, “Such a gentleman, Mr. Hammer.”

“As always, Miss Perrin.” He gave a fake bow that reminded her of something in particular that she didn’t know if she should bring up. So she did it anyway since she had zero shame, “So I am a bit of a snoop and I came across something recently that I found hilarious.”

“Do continue. I’m intrigued,” he murmured, focusing his attention on the scallop he had speared from her own plate. She made him promise not to laugh. He made no promises, but he would try. So she told him, “I had a friend when I was a teenager, like eighteen through early twenties, right?”

“Well, I’m glad you had friends. I expected this to be a little more interesting, though.”

“Let me get to the good part, asshole!” she jokingly taunted, smacking his arm with her palm as she continued on with her story, “So this guy was gay and we would talk about guys we were crushing on together. I just realized the other day that one of the guys he liked was YOU.”

“You’re lying.” He laughed in genuine humor causing her to join in, “I freaking swear. I had to look up your IMDB credits to verify. I’m not friends with him anymore for a variety of reasons. I just thought it was too funny not to tell you.”

“Not to be rude, but just he had a crush on me? My own girlfriend didn’t have a crush on me.”

“You weren’t my type back then, sadly.” she pouted. At that moment their entrees were brought out distracting them from the conversation entirely, but she didn’t care because her Beef Wellington looked absolutely bomb. It was either the intense hunger or the food being good in general but she ate every ounce of food on her plate besides the half that was shared with Armie. His salmon had been great as well which was surprising given how picky she was about fish. Armie covered the bill after they finished a shared dessert of toffee pudding and led the way out of the restaurant towards the valet service up front. She felt like a giant green bowling ball rolling down the red carpet towards the car with how stuffed she was. She leaned her head against the window and sighed happily on the verge of a food coma. 

“Thank you for dinner,” she whispered in gratitude relishing in the feeling of Armie’s hand squeezing her knee at her words, “No need to thank me. I enjoyed the company.”

“I’m entirely too stuffed right now to think straight.”

“That’s too bad. I’d love to stuff you with something else.”

She glanced at him with narrowed eyes. He was already cheekily back at her with a wide grin on his lips. He thought he was hilarious. She did as well, not that she would give him the satisfaction, “You wish.”

He sighed, “It’s one of my many wishes indeed.”

“You’re entirely too good to me. Any other guy would have given up trying the second they couldn’t get what they wanted sexually from a woman. You’re really great, Armie. Sometimes I cannot believe it. You’re too good to be true. Like an enigma.”

He frowned at her words and turned the car off pausing in his seat for a long minute. He turned to her with a serious look in his eyes that caught her off guard, “Don’t ever think that I’m too good for you. You’re the one who is too good for me. You’re sweet, and funny, and pure. You care what others are feeling. You are one of the most involved mothers I have ever seen in my life. I am honored to have you in my life, Rachel, and I feel lucky that a girl as great as you loves me as much as I love her.”

“Are you being serious or are you just trying to get in my pants? Because it might be working in your favor.” She retorted, looking up at him with moist lips and dilated eyes.

“Jokes on you,” he teased before letting out a sexy chuckle. His breath lingered heavily against her ear making her heart race and her panties dampen as he said, “because you’re not wearing any.”


	8. Tease

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Very smutty chapter

She woke up the next morning in a puddle of her own drool. Armie was snoring merrily away in his sleep so loudly that she momentarily considered putting a pillow over his head. Instead she got up and ordered room service. When it arrived she climbed upon the king size bed wearing just a terry robe and straddled Armie’s back. He didn’t react to her movements though she could tell he was awake, “I ordered breakfast.”

“The only thing I want to eat is you.” He mumbled into the plush white duvet making her chuckle. He had already had plenty of her the night before until early into the morning hours. They still hadn’t made the plunge into actual sex, though, despite all the wanting to. Good thing the man beneath her was talented with more parts of his body than one. She clapped his bare shoulders with her palms to the beat of Africa by Toto trying to arouse him from sleep. The burly, sullen man would not budge so she took manners further by reaching down and biting the skin between his shoulder blades making him hiss in pain, “You little heathen.”

“You know it. Now get up! I want to leave after breakfast.”

“Make me,” he turned his head and mumbled into the space where her knee met her thigh making a shiver run down her spine and a jolt of electricity spark right to her core. Oh, she could make him if she wanted to. She ran her nails down his spine to mimic the feeling making him groan, “You’re torturing me.”

“You love it.”

He moved so abruptly that she didn’t have time to react besides to gasp in surprise as he flipped them over to trap her body under his own. He shimmied his knees down into the mattress bracing them on either side of her hips as he reached down and drank from her open mouth with his own. Their tongues met and she moaned wanting more. She needed more. He was toying with her, though, like she had with him last night before they had passed out in a mess of intertwined limbs. He kissed her swiftly once more this time getting up with a chirp of, “I love you.”

“Who is the tease now?” she pouted, standing in a huff with her hands on her wide hips. He ignored her and headed for the coffee table by the pane glass windows where she had set out the platters of fruit, pastries, and soft boiled eggs in ceramic cups. He cracked open the top of his egg and started spooning the yolk quickly into his waiting mouth before speaking, “I asked someone to bring us more clothes.”

“Someone? The same someone who handled your suit problem last night? That’s nice of them.” She mumbled with a steaming cup of coffee clutched between her hands warming her cold palms. She curled up on the couch next to him with her head nestled against his side. She kissed the birthmark on his arm as she continued to watch him eat. She was never hungry enough in the morning hours to stomach something. She’d probably take the bagels with them when they left and eat them in the car on the way to…. Wherever it was that Armie decided to take her. He sipped at his own mug of coffee deep in thought. She wished she could pick his brain sometimes. Such a beautiful person inside and out must have equally as intriguing thoughts.

“You should really eat.” He spoke suddenly, looking over at her and making a face. She shrugged and stole his spoon to take a bite of egg. She mumbled around the wet yolk, “Happy?”

“Well, it’s a start.” he sighed, rubbing his sleep clouded eyes, “I’m going to shower. Listen for the door, will ya?”

So she did as she was told continuing to sip at her now lukewarm coffee that was more cream and sugar than actual coffee. She ate some fruit just to please Armie waiting for the door. His phone started ringing in the pocket of his discarded dress pants suddenly making her jump. She tugged the iPhone from the navy fabric spying the word ‘Wifey’ which made her stomach drop in sadness but then annoyance clouded her brain. She got up and marched into the bathroom opening the shower door startling Armie who was washing his face with a bar of soap, “Ugh, hi babe?”

“Don’t babe me. Your wife is calling.”

She handed the phone to him as he looked at her in utter confusion. He wiped his face with one hand letting the water trek down his hair coated chest rinsing the soap away with it down his taunt stomach and thighs all the way down to the drain. He glanced at the phone that read her name across the screen and missed call. He let his head fall back and groaned, “Baby. Rachel; stop it.”

“I’m trying not to be the jealous girlfriend, I swear to you, but I just can’t handle it sometimes.”

“You and me both. It’s not exactly fun for me either.” He snapped, turning the water off and yanking a towel from the rod to rub over his skin. She tried not to let her eyes wander but it was virtually impossible considering her eye level was closer to his crotch than to his face. He wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed his arms over his chest, “I don’t want this to continue to be a thing, Rach. We are both going to have to learn to deal with her. I’m sure she was just allowing the kids to call and tell me good morning.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m cranky,” she sighed stepping forward until she was pressed against his chest. Her cheek rested over his heart and he tenderly stroked her hair, kissing her crown before fingering her chin to make eye contact with her, “Your feelings are valid. I love you and only you. That I can promise.”

There was a knock then on the door which she assumed was the clothing he had asked to be delivered. She kissed his cheek sweetly, “I’ll get that. Call your kids.”

“Thank you.” He mumbled pressing his mouth to hers before dialing Elizabeth back. She could hear him greeting Harper calling her by her nickname of Hops as she went to the door. On the other side was a skinny man with bleached hair and brows by the name of Kyle. Apparently he and Armie went way back as he had styled him for red carpet events many times which she found interesting. They chatted for a quick moment about their trip to Vegas and where they were headed next. She assured him that Armie would call, thanked him, and took the zipper top weekender style bags before closing the door behind her. One bag had her name on it and the other for Armie. She sat both bags down on the bed in the bedroom looking at Armie who was sprawled across the mattress in his towel. He was still on the phone so she started looking through her bag immediately rolling her eyes to the heavens when she saw the tag for Lululemon. He had evidently not forgotten their conversation yesterday. Well, at least she'll be comfortable and not have to wash her underwear in the sink again like she had done last night. In the bag was an olive toned jumpsuit with a cinch waist, a pair of plain black bike shorts, and a pair of maroon leggings with pockets. They were accompanied by a sweatshirt and a handful of flowy tank tops. She dug further finding a lone sport’s bra that matched the maroon leggings and plain boyshorts. She curiously looked through his bag: basic tees, joggers, comfy drawstring shorts, boxer briefs, and a sweatshirt that looked like the one she had received. Nothing over the top which pleased her. It was all super comfy road trip appropriate clothing.

“Nosy ass.” Armie teased her. He laughed and threw his phone down on the bed, “So, I have a question for you actually.”

She raised a brow, “That doesn’t sound good, but shoot.”

“Nah, it’s just… If I had told Elizabeth about us, hypothetically, how would that make you feel?”

“Uhm…” she said, chewing on her bottom lip, “I honestly don’t know.”

She was being truthful when she said she didn’t know how she’d feel. She wasn’t stupid, though, so she assumed by his nervous energy that he has said something to Elizabeth. Whether he had mentioned her specifically she didn’t know. She didn’t know if she wanted Elizabeth to know her name or who she was. It was easier for right now for her to remain a faceless, nameless entity. At some point she would have to introduce herself especially if she was going to meet the children. God, the children. This whole situation was wild to her. She needed to pinch herself to see if it was all one long fever induced dream from Coronavirus.

“I guess it depends on what was said.”

He shrugged being nonchalant like it didn’t bother him in the slightest, “She asked where I was and I was upfront about being in Vegas with my girlfriend. Nothing more, nothing less. She didn’t ask for details. She seemed surprised, though.”

“I mean, I would be if I was her as well. It makes me feel like a really shitty person.”

“You’re not. And neither am I.” He got to his feet and padded around the bed to pick at the clothes he had received. She suddenly remembered he had bought all these expensive clothes for her and smacked his chest. Hard, “Ouch, fuck!”

“I keep telling you not to spend tons of money on me and you don’t listen.”

“I want to spoil you, so what? I earned it. I spend it how I wish.” He said with his tongue sticking out childishly. She just shook her head and reached for the towel around his waist. He stilled eyeing her trying to guess her motives. She cocked her head and looked up at him with big doe eyes bright with mischief, “I guess I’ll just have to show you how thankful I am then.”

He stood there silently as she let the towel drop. She gathered her hair into a sloppy ponytail pulling it up with an elastic before dropping to her knees on the soft carpet. Armie smirked in obvious pleasure, raising his arms letting his hands come to support the back of his head as she looked up at him to gauge his reaction, “Oh, please do.”

He was hard almost instantly filling her hand with rigid, taunt flesh. She curled her tongue around the head of his cock sucking gently while keeping one hand around the base to stroke the length that couldn’t quite fit into her eagerly waiting mouth. She bobbed on his dick making his hands come down and slip into her hair. He pressed down on her skull firmly wanting her to go down further on his shaft so she did. She gagged as she forced herself down over and over taking more of him into her throat with every down stroke.

“Fuckkkkk,” was all he could hiss, using both hands to press her face into his pelvis. She came off his dick with a pop and huffed teasingly at him to be nice. He grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed with enough pressure to make her jaw ache, “Keep sucking my cock like a good girl and maybe I’ll give you something nice all over that pretty face of yours.”

“I’d rather you give my pussy something nice, Daddy.” she teased back, making his jaw clench harshly and his nostrils flare in tense arousal. His cock twitched eagerly at the words from her mouth, “Is that what you want?”

She had thought about giving into him for so very long. From the beginning of their friendship she had wanted him so badly it hurt, and now looking at him so ripe with arousal she couldn’t resist anymore. She needed him as much, maybe even more, than he needed her. Craved him. Desired him so much it made her insides ache. She couldn’t bring herself to voice her need so she just nodded.

“I need you to say it. Give me permission, baby. Let me make you feel good.” He whispered, framing her face in one large palm as he ran a thumb over her swollen lips. She tentatively flicked her tongue against his fingertip as she whispered, “I need you inside of me. Please?”

It took every ounce of restraint he had in his body not to pick her up off the ground and fuck her senseless right into the nearest wall. He was naturally dominant so he wasn’t afraid to get rough, and he knew she liked that side of him, but he wanted their first time together to be memorable, and special, and everything the first time making love should be. He didn’t want it to be some quick rut against a wall where he came in two seconds. Hell, he hadn’t even had sex with a living person since he had separated from his wife. The most pussy he can gotten was from a sex doll torso he kept hidden away in an armoire back home. He also practiced tying shibari knots on it, but that was another story entirely. His cock throbbed even more at the thought of tying up her thick body with soft ropes. He would never use anything abrasive enough to bruise her beautiful fair skin. No, he would be as gentle as possible which was a feat for him truthfully as he outsized her considerably.

He sunk to his knees before her on the carpet drawing her into his arms giving attention to the skin of her throat and letting his tongue lick a line from her throbbing pulse to her ear lobe. He sucked at her skin leaving a red sensitive mark behind that caused her to cry out in pleasure. He wanted to devour her in every sense of the word. She was suddenly pulled into his arms and carried to the giant bed thunking down on the mattress with a slight bounce. He stood over her bending down to kiss her carefully, slowly, taking his time sipping from her sweet mouth. She moaned against him. She needed his hands on her body more and more with every passing second. He wanted to tease her for a while longer though. He needed her ready and willing and wet for him.

His hands reached for the tie of her robe unknotting the front and peeling back the layers of fabric to reveal her sexy nude body underneath. She closed her eyes savoring the feeling of his eyes and hands on her skin as he ran his fingertips from collarbone to belly button then back up again this time circling her nipples until they hardened into deliciously rosy peaks. He lapped his tongue against one nipple eager to get her perfect tits into his mouth and hands. They were so big, but big was good. Big was perfect for his big hands. They provided the perfect handful of him to grab and squeeze. He momentarily wondered what they had looked like when she was breastfeeding her child. The thought turned him on instantly. Her fertile, ripe body was so incredibly sexy to him. All curves and softness. He wondered why he had never been with fuller figured women before. Maybe he just never gave it the chance, but feeling Rachel’s soft body against his own was enough to convert him in that instant.

“Armie,” she sighed, bringing him back to reality. He tenderly trailed a hand over her flushed cheek, “What, baby?”

“Please?”

She didn’t want to beg for it, but she wanted him now. He recognized the desperation in her voice and gave into her want, immediately easing her body down with him on top of her sinking his knees into the plushness of the bed under them both. She kissed him hard wanting his tongue against hers. He kissed down her chest, her stomach, her thighs, right down to her feet and back up again pausing at the junction of her thighs. He breathed against her hot flesh for a long, tantalizing second as if asking for permission to taste her. She let her thighs fall apart willfully as he gathered her bottom in his hands and pulled her down to meet his eager mouth. The first swipe of his tongue against her slit almost undid her right then and there. She screamed, making him laugh into her wet pussy. She tightened her thighs around his head, sinking his face into her flesh, “Stop laughing and just keep going, asshole.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” he said, his lips vibrating against her clitoris making her thighs clench again against his stubbled cheeks. He grabbed her thighs, one with either hand, and pried them outward and held her down as his tongue attacked her flesh causing her to cry out. Her back arched, bringing her more fully into his mouth as he continued to suck hard at her clit, “Good girl.”

He had her cumming instantly against his tongue soaking her perfect pink slit through. He lapped at her juices as she let out soft, breathy noises of pleasure begging him to fuck her, “Please, Armie?”

“How do you want to do this, baby? Do you want to be on top? Tell me what you need.”

“Just fuck me!” She whined, making him chuckle, kissing her thigh, “Such a greedy girl.”

He adjusted his bulky frame so he was kneeling between her spread thighs. He held his erection in his hand stroking the tip against the moist lips of her pussy. She took a deep, shaky breath as he started pushing inside before he stopped entirely, “Are you still sure?”

“100% sure.”

And with that he pushed inside of her, gnashing his teeth together trying desperately to hold himself back. Her tiny groans and grunts were too much for him. He concentrated on his strokes, pressing his thumb against the swollen bundle of nerves at the apex of her folds. He wanted her to cum before he did, but he was already close. He hated himself for it. Rachel flung her head back in total bliss feeling her body twitch with every press of his thumb against her clit. She was close and knew he was, too. She flicked her hips against his silently begging him to go harder. Faster. He stroked deeply inside of her grinding his pelvis against her own. He angled his cock trying to find the spot that would make her explode. With one flex of his hips he knew he had hit home judging by her gasp and the jerk of her hips against his. He sped up his thrusts while holding her legs high in the air, hitting that spot within her pussy over and over again. He was struggling to hold back his own orgasm when she suddenly clamped down around him, screaming her release just as he pulled out at the last possible moment only to erupt like the flow of a volcano across her milky skin.

She laid in his arms afterward with sleepy eyes, a tired smile on her lips. She started laughing and covered her mouth with a palm to hide the sound. He didn’t know what she was laughing at but he couldn’t help but join in. Armie couldn’t believe his luck when it came to her. He had stopped believing in God long ago, but maybe, just maybe, God had answered his weak prayers in the form of a smiling, feisty yet tender hearted girl from New Orleans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos. I appreciate it!


	9. World’s Sexiest Risk Taker

Rachel loved how she could be herself with Armie. He was such a nonjudgmental person that he would never question her thoughts, feelings, or actions. She also figured since he had told Elizabeth about her, albeit vaguely, she could be a little less careful about obscuring his presence in her life from her online existence. She had posted a series of photos as they drove through the desert: the red canyons of Virgin River Gorge, their clasped hands on the gear shift, a cute video a random guy had taken for them of Armie carrying her on his back as high as they could go with the recent November snowfall on Telescope Peak wearing matching sweatshirts, the back facing snapshot from Hell’s Kitchen with the caption being, “Where is the lamb sauce?!”

Thus far she hadn’t received any outrageous commentary from the pictures. The stories, however, had her friends from mom groups on Facebook buzzing as they had immediately recognized him as the guy who dressed as Drogo from a Facebook Halloween post. She had uploaded a video of Armie driving, wearing her RayBans again, while singing along to the radio. She decided last minute to cover half of his face with a heart eye emoji just out of respect for his privacy. Amanda had messaged her first saying she was a sneaky bitch for this last minute surprise road trip. A few other messengers wanted to know who he was to which she only responded with, “A guy I’m seeing.” 

No more, no less. 

It was a tease of information but they would live. Armie also had finally followed her on Instagram which she found hilarious. He posted his own slew of videos while hiking showing only vague glimpses of her backside and long hair thrown up into a sloppy ponytail as they climbed up into the mountains together in Death Valley. Their last stop before they would be returning home to Los Angeles was Sequoia National Forest. She was particularly excited for this one even if they would end up sleeping overnight in the cramped car.

“You know, I’ve really enjoyed this entire trip. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a roadtrip with someone who didn't complain the entire time.”

“I assure you that I have plenty of internalized complaints, but any time I can spend with you is good with me.” Rachel spoke softly, flipping through a magazine she had purchased at the last gas station looking for the crossword puzzle. A familiar face greeted her which made her awe and turn the page to Armie who glanced over to see what had caught her attention, “Look, it’s you.”

“Thanks for the recognition, babe. You should see my British GQ cover.”

“Don’t even tempt me into Googling it because I will.”

“I have it at the house if you’re genuinely interested,” he chuckled, kissing her knuckles softly.

“Do you typically keep all your magazine covers or?” She asked with slight humor clouding her voice. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Elizabeth framed it as a joke along with the People magazine’s Sexiest Risk Taker article.”

She was quiet for a moment as she started filling in the crossword with Armie’s name for 7 across, “Sexiest Risk Taker, huh?”

“What, you don’t believe it?”

“I guess we shall see, won’t we?”

They became immersed in the rugged, mountainous landscape that seemed to swallow them up with haste as ascended into Mineral King. She had never seen anything quite like it before. Armie stopped for a short early morning hike along the trails that followed along the foot of Sawtooth Peak to see the Monarch Lakes. Rachel took photos as they passed through small flower filled meadows flanked by the dense fir forest. Armie had promised an easy hike, and it was, albeit long in length. They decided quickly after returning to the car hours later with soaked boots from crossing through a gurgling creekbed to stay the night at a secluded resort since it was expected to get rather cold in the night. Not that she would complain about it. She much preferred sleeping, and doing other activities beyond sleep, in a bed rather than a cramped compact sedan. Armie’s legs barely fit as it was.

“I think I could live in a log cabin like a mountain man. What do you think?” Armie asked as they exited the car outside of a tiny green cabin with a surrounding deck. He braced one leg on the tire of the Nissan and placed his hands on his hips. With his black joggers and red plaid overshirt he truly looked like some modern day Paul Bunyon.

“Absolutely dashing. You even have the beard for it.” She cooed sweetly, patting his scruff with one tiny palm and laughing as he nipped at her bare fingertips playfully. She would never get used to how much fun they had together. It was refreshing to get to be young and silly with someone who wouldn’t take you too seriously for it. Sometimes she really couldn’t take him seriously. Now was one of those times with his beanie covered head and unruly beard. They were both starting to look a little too disheveled from days together in a cramped car. Nonetheless they loved the adventure. She made a silent vow to always be down for a road trip with him whenever he wanted. She would never complain as long as it made him happy, and judging from his wide grin as they stood with heads tipped back towards the sky he was. She took a running leap up onto his back and perched there with his hands cradling her thighs as they walked towards the steps. Man, she needed a shower.

They were greeted by a cute older lady who seemed genuinely happy to help them with their reservation that Armie had called in rather hastily that morning. They only had a double cabin available meaning they would either share one full bed or sleep separately. She’d decide later depending on her mood and how much he annoyed her. They were given keys, helped with their miniscule bags, and left to settle in. Armie stood and admired the giant stone fireplace that extended from floor to ceiling with a low whistle.

“Should have asked for separate cabins for both my virtue as well as my ears.”

“I think your virtue is just fine, but your ears? You might need a doctor for that.” he grumbled knowing she was poking fun at his bear like snores, “I’ll have you know that you snore, too. You’re not quiet as a mouse in your sleep.”

She let out a faux gasp of disbelief, holding a hand to her heart, “Why, Mr. Hammer, I never! You know that women don’t snore. Or fart. Or burp. We are merely silent figures to be seen and not heard.”

“Hmmm,” he smirked, setting his baseball mitt size hands on her hips, “I’d rather hear you moaning my name. Loudly.”

“In your dreams, cowboy,” she clucked, pinching the skin between his thumb and pointer finger so he would let go of her. She really did need that shower. She started undressing letting him catch an eyeful of black lace before disappearing into the adjacent bathroom to check out the shower situation. There was a large soaking tub and a glass paned shower big enough for two with a stone tiled floor. How absolutely charming. She shifted through a basket of toiletries filled to the brim with homemade soaps and bath fizzers.

“They even have a grill out back. Not sure where I would get actual meat to cook on it, but it’s a nice one.” Armie was saying loudly from the other side of the cabin. She mumbled back her sentiments and let the water run scalding hot in the tub pouring in an envelope of sugar fine purple toned powder that smelt of lavender. Little dried lavender flowers swirled at the top of the tub, their scent wafting over her. This is far from what she had expected from a cabin in the middle of nowhere. She eased into the hot water to soak looking out the window overlooking a babbling stream surrounded by a grove of towering redwoods. She really could see Armie living out here off the grid full time. Herself not so much unless she had wifi and a tv. Arlo would probably love it out here. So many squirrels and bunnies to chase from sunup to sun down.

“What has you so deep in thought?” Armie spoke from the doorway startling her from her thoughts. He leaned against the door jam, his head almost brushing the top. He had started removing his clothing as well leaving him in just his low hanging joggers and boxer briefs. Rachel eyed him with half lidded eyes, “Just you and how you’re a regular Paul Bunyon.”

“I am indeed quite rugged when I want to be,” he chuckled, dropping his pants and underwear around his ankles and ushering her to make room in the giant tub. She shifted forward with her knees bent to give him the space he would need to recline back against the tub’s edge. The water level raised drastically as he nestled himself behind her. His arms wrapped around her pulling her flush against him and into his lap. They soaked in the fragrant water for a long moment just savoring the warmth and the slickness of their skin meeting. She ran her fingers up and down his chest before playfully twisting his chest hair, “I love this. Just relaxing with you. It’s romantic.”

“That was the plan all along, didn’t you know?” he asked, sweeping her hair into a ponytail with one large hand exposing her slender neck to his gaze, his mouth, and his tongue. He nipped at her flesh causing a rising of goosebumps along her spine, “It’s all just an elaborate ploy to get you to fall even more in love with me.”

“Either that or to kill me in the middle of nowhere where there isn’t even cell service.”

She turned in the sloshing water to straddle his hips so their eyes could meet. His blue eyes were like ice in the mid afternoon sunlight swimming in from the giant windows surrounding them. If they had been any less secluded she would have been worried about giving someone a live sex show. The deer were in for a real treat, though, as she attached their mouths in a searing kiss. She pressed her lips to his throat feeling his Adam’s apple bob.

“Did you know that I have this fantasy of making love in a bathtub?” he whispered into her ear making her laugh, “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were making that up.”

He slowly dug his fingertips into the soft flesh of her hips grinding her against his hardness in the water teasingly, “Believe me, I wish I was.”

“Well,” she sighed, letting her head fall back as he covered her chest with openmouthed kisses, “I didn’t fall for the world’s sexiest risk taker for nothing.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

They awoke the next morning well rested after their peaceful night of eating burgers down at the resort restaurant which was about the only place to get food in a two hour radius. The restaurant was connected to a tiny shop that sold a lot of dry goods like cereal and bread. They picked up ingredients to roast s’mores at their cabin and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning dancing under the stars to the radio of their car. Rachel had fallen asleep in Armie’s snug arms listening to the soft chirping of grasshoppers in the crisp Fall breeze and his steady heartbeat. After grabbing a quick breakfast at the restaurant, showering, and saying goodbyes to the resort staff the duo headed back towards the more popular tourist centered areas of Sequoia around General Sherman. She wanted to get pictures of them in front of the massive tree trunk before they left Kings Canyon. The drive down the canyon was particularly white knuckling as a light snowfall started up. They had just narrowly averted the first snowfall of the season by mere hours. Thank God, because the tiny Nissan probably wouldn’t have made them in one piece down the steep mountain.

The couple donned their matching Lululemon hoodies looking like a pair of embarrassing newlyweds as they posed together for photos with the monarch Sequoias, Armie’s beanie sitting snugly on the tangled waves of her hair. The area was bustling with activity as they made the downhill hike around the circle of trees. She couldn’t help but make a joke about how Armie had finally found somewhere he fit in. Even he looked dwarfed next to the centuries old trees with their gnarled branches and cinnamon colored bark. It was growing colder, their breath coming out in visibly frigid bursts of icy air. He kept her warm as they explored the grove of towering redwoods and lush meadows beyond.

Rachel decided to give Armie a break from behind the wheel at that point, deciding to finish the route back to Los Angeles on her own. He sat in the passenger chair with the seat pushed all the way back to make room for his lanky lower half. At some point he fell into a deep sleep which was impressive considering how bad of a driver she was. He woke once they hit Santa Clarita to offer directions to his place since she didn’t know herself without the GPS telling her as such. She had never been more relieved in her life when they stopped at her place to grab Arlo who had been under the care of Amanda. She couldn’t tell who was more excited to see who: her or the dog. They pulled into Armie’s house in the early evening and after a long day of driving she was ready to snuggle with the dogs, her man, and sleep. She ordered pizza as Armie let the dogs out back to play in the yard.

“Man, I’ve never been happier to be home,” he groaned into her hair as they lie together facing the television in his living room. She would have dozed off had it not been for the ringing of the doorbell. Armie went to grab their pizza as she stretched out on the leather sofa, resting an arm over her eyes. Soft foot falls made their way into the room and she was shocked to the core when she looked up to see Armie’s estranged wife standing there in all her preened glory, their son on her hip and an awkward smile on her glossy lips.

Oh, this was just her luck. She had hoped to fully avoid this meeting until way later in their relationship. She could hear Armie talking to Harper in the kitchen obviously plating pizza for the kids. She just knew deep in her soul that this was going to wind up being the most awkward family dinner of her entire life. Not only had she shown up unannounced, but she had come with the kids meaning Armie wasn’t going to send her away. He wondered to himself if it was a ploy on their mother’s part. For the first time since they had lived in the house Armie led Harper to eat in the living room where Rachel was still sitting awkwardly on the couch. He came into the room just as his girlfriend opened her mouth to speak much to his surprise.

“I want to apologize. If I had known you were going to be visiting with the children I would have made myself much more scarce.”

Elizabeth was a little beside herself at the words, but she appreciated the politeness even if it was coming from her husband’s new girlfriend’s lips. Inside she was fuming, of course, having wanted to surprise Armie with the kids without her being involved. The three of them could not go back in time to change things, though, so they would remain cordial for the children’s sake. Luckily they didn’t seem to mind nor notice the intrusion. They were just happy to see their father for the first time in several months.

“I think I should go.” Rachel said suddenly, getting to her feet in a rush startling Armie who just stood there shaking his head. He didn’t know what to say besides asking her to stay. The words came out halfheartedly so she gathered her belongings, grabbed Arlo by the collar, and headed home in the rented Nissan in embarrassment and fury with tears in her eyes.

The girlfriend would never win against the wife. Ever. Deep in her gut she knew that, but that didn’t make the pain she felt rolling through her ease. It wasn’t until she was home and scrolling through Instagram that she broke down because the first thing to populate on her feed was a post from him from today at General Sherman where they had walked through the Sequoia tunnel together with bated breath. How funny that 5 hours later she would be home alone still holding her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t have the patience to proofread so if you notice mistakes let me know. Thanks, everyone. Once again: Armie, if you’re lurking, hmu.


	10. I’m High On Loving You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: S M U T

She had been awake for only a few moments scrolling mindlessly through her phone when Armie came barging into her apartment. She immediately turned over to face the wall and ignore him, momentarily regretting having given him the spare key to her place so he could drop by whenever he wanted. What a mistake that had been on her part along with prematurely changing her status on Facebook to ‘In A Relationship’ last week. Maybe this was punishment for that?

“Why have you been ignoring my texts?” Was his way of saying hello, and she could tell he knew she was angry. He was carefully looking for a way to diffuse the situation before she exploded on him. She was not happy, and it was not without reason.

“I’ve been sleeping is why.”

“You were just on Facebook. I saw you, dork.”

“I’m not in a particularly playful mood, Armie.” she grumbled into her pillow whilst closing her eyes against the wetness forming, “So if you wouldn’t mind being quiet that would be great.”

“Oh, baby,” he sighed, kicking off his shoes and crawling into bed behind her under the duvet to cradle her petite body against his own much harder torso, “I’m really sorry for last night. I missed you.”

“You deserved time with your kids.”

“It was nice seeing them,” he mumbled into her hair with a loud sigh, “I should have had her leave and you stay, though. That would have been the right thing to do. The kids would love you.”

It was hard to stay upset with him when he spoke to her with so much sweetness. That and having his muscled chest pressed against her was only slightly distracting. Everything about him was distracting. Armie talked her out of bed with ease promising her breakfast. Instead of cooking together like usual they walked the short block to a nearby cafe in La Brea where they served the best french toast made with brioche. They did their typical sharing of plates with Armie ordering a goat cheese omelet and she the french toast. It felt like any other day together, but there was something off with Armie. He was quiet and thoughtful. More so than usual.

“Okay,” she finally said to get his attention, “What is up with you today?”

“Nothing is up. Why do you ask?”

He was trying so very hard to sound nonchalant but she could tell something was bothering him. Her worst fear was that he had cheated on her with Elizabeth, but she guessed in all actuality she had been the other woman all along so was it really cheating? Now her own mind was wandering creating every possible worst scenario. He didn’t want to talk about it there in a public setting, though, so she kept her thoughts to herself and just sweat over what he could possibly say. He was going to break up with her, wasn’t he? Oh, god, what if he did? She would probably be pissed off but she would understand if he did. There had always been some small part of her that knew she wasn’t entirely up to par with him. He was a millionaire for fucks sake and she would have to work her ass off soon to pay the student loans off from cosmetology school. They were not remotely the same. They had already planned to spend Thanksgiving together and now she was going to be forced to be alone for the first time in her life.

“If you want to break up with me I get it, Armie. You don’t have to sit and draw it out.”

She wasn’t expecting the laughter in response to her words which embarrassed her even more. Obviously her mind had been racing in the completely wrong direction judging by the look on his face. So if he didn’t want to stop dating her then what was it? He had fucked Elizabeth. 

“I don’t want to break up with you. Why would you even remotely think that? We just got back from the best trip I’ve had in years,” he shook his head, and for a moment she wished his eyes weren’t entirely obscured by his sunglasses so she could read his always quite expressive eyes. She wouldn’t be left wondering for long because his next sentence spoken was, “Elizabeth wants to move with the kids to Dallas.”

“So…. you didn't sleep with her?”

“Fuck, no. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

She felt sick for assuming the worst. She knew him well enough by now that she shouldn’t have even humored the idea of him being disloyal. Still, she did not know what to say. Dallas wasn’t a super far flight from LA. It was doable, but not to the extent he desired. She knew that he wanted to see his kids as often as possible. That would never happen if they moved with their mother to another state. He would be stuck much like Mike where he got to see his children for extended holidays only. He was much too involved in their lives to ever agree to that. 

“Does that mean you’re considering moving to Dallas, too, then?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Yet. The word made her heart jump into her throat. So he had considered it already. He and Elizabeth had probably discussed their options together last night after she had left the house. Now she was left wondering if that is what his texts had said that she apparently hadn’t bothered reading this morning. Her phone was now useless being left behind at home in the rush to leave the apartment with Armie to make breakfast. 

“She wants to be closer to the bakery. I think it makes more sense for me to be here.”

“That’s something you have to decide on your own, Armie,” she said with a spark of compassion, “I can’t decide for you.”

He just shrugged and sipped the rest of his juice from the plastic cup. They left the cafe and went back to her apartment so she could get ready for work. It was her first day back after the nearly five day long road trip across the western United States. Armie lied on her bed watching with half interest as she did her hair and makeup in the vanity mirror. She asked if he wanted to stay there while she worked and he just shrugged not knowing what he was going to be doing that day while she was gone. He figured he could at least take Arlo with him back to his place so the dogs could play together to burn some energy. Maybe he would take them to the dog park or the beach? She agreed to either idea but reminded him to keep Arlo on his leash if they went to the beach. Armie knew that already.

“Do you have the turkey thawing for tomorrow?” she had casually reminded him. Honestly they had both forgotten tomorrow was Thanksgiving. She had the day off but had to work the next for Black Friday which wasn’t ideal, but what could she do? Plus money was money. She needed as much as she could get.

“It’s ready for cooking, don’t worry. We won’t have a frozen turkey.” he said, standing over her shoulder and kissing her neck. She shooed him away knowing where this would wind up if she didn’t. She didn’t have enough time to even humor a quickie before work. She was running late as it was so she dressed as quickly as possible in all black passing on making lunch just to get out the door.

Purse. Keys. Wallet. Where was her phone? Right there.

“Be good,” she said first to Arlo and then Armie who rolled his eyes and gave her a fleeting kiss goodbye. She could hear him yell just as the door shut closed behind her, “No promises!”

She didn’t know what was normal for Armie, but she was not an early riser on days when it was not warranted. When she was urged to wake at dawn it prompted a tense moment of pouting and disgruntled arguing to which she eventually gave into his demands. He was listening to Christmas music, for fucks sake, at seven in the morning on Thanksgiving. She briefly thought about stabbing him with the knife she was using to cut onions with. She refrained favoring a sip of the coffee he had poured for her instead. It needed more sugar. And milk. Or maybe she was just in a perpetually bad mood. She didn’t even really like coffee but something had to wake her up. She couldn’t handle another Christmas song without it. She cracked eggs for cornbread with heavy handed frustration. Armie was oblivious to it all looking handsome in his forest green waffle knit thermal and dark jeans. She hadn’t even bothered to get dressed. She was wearing one of his sweaters that looked like more of a tunic on her than anything else. She paused in her cornbread making to pull her auburn hair up into a sizable bun atop her head. She begged to change the music to her own Spotify playlist to which Armie agreed even if their music taste was far from the same. She connected her phone to the bluetooth speaker settling on a playlist of liked songs of various artists and genres. In a way she was just as eclectic as he was in that aspect. She was one of those people who when asked to pick a favorite genre of music she didn’t know how to answer. She liked everything from Fleetwood Mac, to Nicki Minaj, to Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw. It was truly one big hodgepodge of likes and dislikes. 

Her mood perked when Armie had gathered her into his arms doing an awkward shuffling two step along with a sweet country song. She rested her head on his chest and melted into him as he softly sang the lyrics into her ear, “I’m high on loving you.”

And it was true. Armie swore he fell more in love with her as every day passed by. He liked how effortless their relationship was. How they went from playful teasing and bickering to laughter. She thought he was hilarious which was, as he thought, a hell of an ego boost. He thought he was, too. She was so damn sweet in everything she did. Hopelessly devoted to making sure he was okay. He cared for her in the same way. They just had this beneficial equal understanding of how things would go in their relationship. He needed someone to tame the wild in him, though, and she was good at that. Somehow God had wanted their paths to cross, and for that he was exceptionally thankful. He wanted nothing more than to love her and be loved in return. For this she didn’t have to try hard for loving him was one of the most effortless things she had done. Easy, even, like the tattoo on his chest that she loved so much. It reminded her of being home in The Big Easy. She wanted to take him home one of these days. He would love Thanksgiving there.

They ended up on the couch taking a much needed break from cooking, leisurely exchanging whisper light touches under clothing and lingering kisses. Her skin smelt of pumpkin spice and sweet vanilla intoxicating his mind more than the beer he had consumed ever could. He desperately wanted to just consume her wholly in every way possible. She let out a little squeak as he lifted her up by the thighs to flip over with himself on his back to give her some freedom to be as assertive as she desired. She didn’t hesitate, reaching for the hem of his shirt to pull over his head. She wanted his skin pressed against hers. Wanted to feel his chest hair against her stiffening nipples. His hands guided her hips against his own in a teasing jerk revealing the rigid length of him compressed only by a layer of soft denim. Her moans turned him on even more as he ground her firmly against him. His thumb went to her mound flicking over the slick fabric looking for the spot between her thighs that would make her pulse in ecstasy. He couldn't help but smirk at the loud squeal of pleasure she made on impact. He sat upright bringing her lips to his in a searing kiss.

“What do you want, kitten?” he breathed out, their faces mere centimeters apart. Breats pressed firmly against him causing her to squirm. She averted her eyes and let out a low whisper that he didn’t catch. He reached a hand up to clasp her throat making her eyes bulge in surprise. He didn’t squeeze hard enough to hurt but her breath hitched nonetheless, “Speak up. What do you want?”

“You.”

He chuckled and squeezed a little tighter making her pant, “Me what?”

“I want your cock. Please?” she begged to which he asked, “Please what?”

“Please, Daddy?”

His cock twitched at the word and he made quirk work of the closure of his jeans peeling them off and situating between her spread thighs with her panties hooked underneath his thumb. He ripped them off enjoying the look on her face as the fabric tore with ease. Armie eased his thumb against her flesh feeling her wetness collecting along her slit. His cock slid with ease through the hole of his boxers to tease her wet opening before parting her lips in one slow thrust. Her back arched, sinking his cock deep into the depths of her desperate, burning hot pussy. There was absolutely nothing hotter than the point where making love became straight fucking, because the two were so very different. Rachel was not typically into slow sex so when Armie began to pick up speed she could do nothing but hold onto him tightly as her stomach clenched in wanton pleasure along with her cunt around his cock begging him to fuck her harder. 

She pressed her hands against his chest asking with her eyes for a change of position. He happily obliged, settling back deep into the couch with his legs braced against the hardwood. She mounted his pelvis sliding onto his dick with one sweep. The moan that left his lips was enough motivation to pick her ass up to fall once more deeply onto his length. Her breath turned ragged as she rode him hard and fast, a sheen of musky sweat quickly coating her pale skin. Armie grasped her hips firmly in both hands to thrust up into her on every downward stroke. She stared deeply into his sinful eyes letting her mouth drop in a low groan of pleasure as she abruptly quaked in orgasm. He stood up from the couch with her legs wrapped tightly around him, his cock still deeply seated inside of her as he carried her to the bedroom. Her mouth reached for his allowing his slick tongue entrance before he pulled away, settling her onto her knees on the mattress and standing behind her with his feet firmly planted on the floor. He pulled her back to the edge of the bed, bending at the waist to press a kiss to the curve of her rounded ass before focusing his attention on the slick entrance of her cunt with his tongue beating against her clit with quick strokes. She rode out her next orgasm against his face as he held her hips tightly in his broad hands.

She leant forward onto her elbows as he stood once more to push inside of her with the head of his dick. He teased her for a long moment pressing in with several shallow strokes before thrusting to the hilt bottoming out in her almost painfully in this position. He stilled when she let out a painful gasp. She begged him to be careful as he began softly rocking against her in a brisk rhythm. He watched her face in the mirror across the room. Locked his gaze on her dropped jaw, closed eyes, and the bounce of her milky white tits as he continued to thrust into her from behind. He shifted at the waist to press a kiss to her spine keeping his head tucked down as he growled against her flesh. His hips snapped against hers harshly as he felt his release creeping up him like a wave of electric heat.

“Oh, fuck,” she cried, contracting around his cock, “Oh my god.”

Her last orgasm hit him like a ton of bricks and he could hardly hold his own back, pressing her down into the mattress and bucking into her as hard as he could feeling the head of his cock rubbing her slick walls. He exploded inside of her with his own choking string of curses. Armie let his head fall back as he slowed, his spent dick still twitching in her depths. He was mad at himself for cumming inside of her because they hadn’t discussed birth control in all the time they had been together as lovers. He tried never to assume with girls he fucked for his own safety, but he assumed by her lack of care that she was on birth control of some sort. Maybe it was because he trusted her. He fell forward partially on top of her with his forehead pressed against her sweat soaked back.

The sound of a loud alarm jerked them out of their post coittal bliss making him laugh as he fell sideways onto the mattress. He looked over to meet her eyes wearing that familiar grin that she had come to love so much, “I forgot about the turkey.”

In his defense his mind had only been slightly preoccupied by the sight of her round ass bobbing on his dick. Armie disappeared into the bathroom to clean himself off bringing back a damp, warm washcloth to wipe the residuals of sex from his lover’s skin. She laid on her stomach with her face pressed into his pillow as he wiped with soft strokes between her spread thighs.

“You’re on birth control, right?”

“I wouldn’t let you cum in me if I wasn’t. You have enough fucked up shit going on as it is.” she scoffed, not meaning to hurt his feelings with the words but they did. Armie had a thick skin so not much impacted him. Something about the bite in her tone made him pause, though, “You knew what you were getting into when you decided to date me. I won’t apologize for that.”

“I would prefer not to argue about our relationship on Thanksgiving if you don’t mind.”

“Whatever you say, Rachel,” Armie mumbled under his breath as he pulled on his boxers and exited the room to turn off the alarm for the turkey and check it’s doneness with a meat thermometer. It needed a little more time in the oven so he rotated the roaster and set the timer once more. Armie went to the backyard to sit on the patio with a glass of Pinot Grigio watching Arlo bolt along the fence line with Archie nipping at his heels. There was something soothing about the early afternoon California sunshine warming the skin of his face and shoulders. It was such a contrast from the chill of the mountains. It was crazy to believe they had been deeply submerged in the wilderness only a few days prior with no problems between them other than where to stay the night. Armie was used to pressure and pain. He had felt it many times in his life despite his privileged lifestyle, and honestly sometimes it was exactly that lifestyle that led to even more emotional pain.

“Armie.”

He turned his head to eye the redhead standing on the open doorway who was back to wearing his sweater that clung tantalizingly against the curve of her hips. The v neck dipped low on her chest revealing the swell of her ripe breasts. A deep bruising mark marred the skin over her heart where his teeth had nipped just a little too hard. A matching love bite could be found under her ear from his too eager mouth. Even if he was slightly frustrated by her in that moment he couldn’t help but want to take her voluptuous body into his arms. She dropped into his lap as if she could read his mind and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m sorry.”

That was all it took in his mind for all the anger to dissipate. It was laughable how well she had him wrapped around her finger, but he didn’t mind. The hopeless romantic in him loved the pull she had over him like some siren luring a soldier to sea. It was her own particular form of witchcraft over him; mind, body, and soul. He pressed his lips to her own letting her know she was forgiven. She hadn’t even really needed to say sorry for he had already forgiven her. He was easy to please.

After all, he was a man in love, wasn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love cheap thrills and not proofreading.


	11. Siri, Who Is Timothee Chalamet?

It was six the next morning when Armie’s phone rang. The shrilling ring of a phone is the last thing she wanted to wake up to when she had to be at work in three hours so she ignored the sound and turned over onto her stomach pulling single pillow over her head to dull the early morning light pouring in from the wide windows and Armie’s mumbling from beside her in bed. She could not make out his words through the pillow but her attention was swiftly drawn at his sudden change in tone as he snapped at the person on the other end of the line inaudibly. She sat up in concern tugging the sheet up to cover her bare chest making Arlo and Archie look up from where they were sprawled together across the foot of the king sized mattress.

“I don’t know where you heard that bit of information, or should I say gossip, but it’s not what happened whatsoever,” Armie was saying into the phone whilst pinching the bridge of his nose in visible irritation. Rachel reached for him letting her nails scratch a soothing line down his broad back. He leaned into her touch urging her on, “I hear what you’re saying but it’s not true, Mom.”

So it was his mother on the other line. That was interesting to her for Armie didn’t talk about his parents a lot. Her own mother was dead and she talked about her far more than he did about his own. She left him to his privacy in the bright bedroom, trudging into the kitchen with bare feet padding gently on the hardwood with the sheet wrapped firmly around her. She needed coffee, and she had gotten used to making breakfast for Armie. She doubted that she would be returning to sleep anyway.

Armie still hadn’t come out of the bedroom as she stood over the kitchen island watching bacon grease pop on the griddle. She sipped her coffee. The nosey side of her wondered deeply what the conversation was about. It sounded personal, though, and she knew well enough to leave his business be.

“Hey, we need to have a conversation,” Armie said suddenly jostling her from the blank eyed stupor she had found herself in whilst breakfast continued cooking. Rachel quirked a brow in question but turned the griddle off, sliding the crisp bacon onto a paper towel lined plate. 

“About what exactly?”

“I don’t want to freak you out, but there is a lot of information circulating the internet right now that you should be aware of because your name is attached to it as well as mine.”

“What sort of information?”

“From what I read? A lot of gossip and assumptions. I knew my divorce would be a hot topic but I didn’t think it would get to this level,” Armie sat down on a stool and snagged a piece of bacon crunching on it thoughtfully, “Someone somewhere is talking to the press and a lot of what they’re saying isn’t correct. You just need to be prepared for that.”

“Prepared for WHAT?”

It only took a quick Google search of ‘Armie Hammer’ to reveal that someone had, indeed, leaked her name to the press and shared personal photos with them as well as other information that left her feeling breathless. Pictures of her from Instagram and Facebook. A LinkedIn page for her Cosmetology work. Information about her divorce and worst of all: Rowan.

“Who would do this?” she whispered breathlessly as she skimmed over the article attacking Armie for cheating on Elizabeth during their marriage and now during their separation. She ignored Armie’s hand reaching for her own and bypassed him on the way to the bedroom to retrieve her clothes from yesterday. He was right on her heels watching her get dressed, “Who knows? It’s not that big of a deal, Rach.”

She spun on her heel with a scoff, “Maybe not to you. You’re not the one being publicly called a homewrecker. Dammit, Armie! I told you this was going to happen. I told you I didn’t want any of this and now my daughter is involved. There is a picture of her circulating the internet, Armand.”

“Can you just please calm down for one second. Please, baby? Just breathe. Sit down,” he was quick to dodge the pillow she threw at his head from across the room leaving him crouched on the ground with wide, startled eyes, “Did you just throw something at me?”

“Don’t tell me to sit down, you condescending asshole.”

“We can get them to take down the pictures. It’s illegal to post intellectual property. That includes your photos from social media.”

“Like that is going to help. I’m sure they have found their way to Reddit and Tumblr and every other social media platform out there by now in an effort to shit talk you and me as well.”

“Will you just listen to me? I’m trying to help, Rachel.”

“Look, I need time to think. I have work in two hours so I need to go back home to get dressed anyway then Mike is bringing Rowan back to California later tonight. I don’t have time for this right now, Armie, as much as I love you.”

That love for him was the absolute only thing keeping her from ending it all in that moment. But was her love enough? Even she didn’t know. She wanted Armie. Hell, she’d be lying if she said otherwise. The tenderness in their relationship was something she adored. It was impossible not to adore Armie Hammer. She crumpled with every smile, every kiss, every utterance of the word ‘love’ that slipped from his plush lips. Were her priorities too much askew? After all their relationship was so incredibly new and never was supposed to happen anyway. Fate had an entirely funny way of putting the two together when they needed it most. She needed to think about herself and her daughter first, though, which was something that she had overlooked since Armie had first appeared in their life. Realistically she should have considered Rowan more so before jumping into a relationship in the first place. A whole new wave of guilt settled deeply within her gut. She needed this time to think on her own. Rachel gathered her belongings, clipped Arlo to his leash, and let Armie kiss her at the door before she left in vivid paranoia. Nobody was on the street though, much to her relief, so she entered the black SUV parked in the driveway after loading the dog into the back. 

Rachel was proud of herself for holding back the tears until she was gone from Armie’s sight, but once she pulled away from the curb the waterworks started resulting in her pulling into the apartment parking garage choking on air in a panic. She struggled against the seatbelt, slamming a fist onto the steering wheel in a rage over and over again. All she had wanted was a new, fresh start for herself and her child away from the baggage of her marriage. All her work was pointless.

“No,” she snapped, talking to herself in order to calm down before going inside, “I’m a badass bitch. I’m a survivor. Fuck everyone else; they don’t know us.”

And it was true. They didn’t know. The reporters, the photographers, the forum authors and Instagram stalkers were all nothing to her. They didn’t matter in her life whatsoever. Why should their opinions matter? Armie was right. It wasn’t a big deal because those people were not in their relationship to actually know the truth. It killed her that someone was spreading false facts about her, though, because from what she had seen the timeline wasn’t right. Armie hadn’t even come into her life until after he and Elizabeth had publicly split. If his claim of January was true then why was their relationship such an issue? Unless he was lying. She refused to believe he was. What did he have to gain from lying about that to her specifically? She wiped the tears from her cheeks feeling foolish for even crying in the first place.

She decided to take the stairs up to her apartment letting Arlo climb ahead of her on the loosened leash secured around her wrist. She sent a quick text to Armie telling him she loved him as she opened the door to the apartment letting Arlo inside before unclipping his leash. It was a rush to shower, shave, and get ready for work all whilst she had a lingering fear swirling her mind like sudsy water around a shower drain. It left her with an ominous feeling deep within her gut. She was so preoccupied within her mind that she was almost late for work giving her at least the opportunity to briefly explain that she wasn’t herself because of issues at home. Luckily the manager was nice and didn’t ask too many questions.

Sephora was busier than usual which was saying something considering the store was packed even on weekdays most of the time. It was a crowd of regulars looking for a killer sale mixed with the odd pack of teenage girls who were probably only there to kill time or shoplift. Rachel was too busy at the cash register to care either way leaving loss prevention to their job. That was until one particularly brave teen from the pack came waltzing up to the cash wrap with a mouth full of gum smelling like Pink Sugar exploded all over her clothes. She handed over a cheap eyeliner and eyed Rachel with interest as she scanned the barcode, “Are you her?”

“Define her?” Rachel asked back with little interest, carefully placing the eyeliner in a striped gift bag with a poof of tissue paper peeking out from the top. They made eye contact as the young girl leaned in closer to whisper, “I saw you on Perez Hilton.”

“Ah,” she choked out in a panic, pausing to chuckle awkwardly at this seventeen year old girl blatantly approaching her with this information. Man, kids were bold these days, “Perez? That’s impressive.”

“We are big fans of Timothee Chalamet. Have you met him?”

“Can’t say I have unfortunately.”

“Well, if you meet him give him my number? We think it’s cool that you’re dating Armie because, ya know, you’re just like normal like…. Well, us, I guess.”

The girl left before she could say much else leaving behind the scent of Pink Sugar and an actual slip of paper with her number on it. Rachel appreciated the boldness, but she tossed it once the girl was out of sight since it was just slightly weird. She couldn’t help but laugh about it all when her break came and she was allowed fifteen minutes alone to her own devices. What are the freaking odds? She pulled out her phone to whisper, “Siri, who is Timothee Chalamet.”

Google was the best invention since sliced bread.

Rachel didn’t get home from work until just after seven which was thirty minutes before Mike was supposed to drop off Rowan. She was coming back, finally, from a two week stint in Utah with her father for the Thanksgiving holidays. He probably wouldn’t see her again until Christmas depending on what they decided to do for the holiday. Depending on how generous she was Rachel might just bite the bullet and fly to Utah to spend Christmas alone in a hotel room. It made things easier than the back and forth flying. Maybe Armie would go with her? She was still thinking about Armie and their conversation that morning when a knock sounded on the door. She assumed it was Mike but opened the door to reveal Armie instead with his hands shoved deep within the pockets of his light wash jeans. 

“Hey, Handsome,” she greeted fondly, lifting onto her bare toes to press a firm kiss against his eager mouth, “I was just thinking about you.”

“All good thoughts I would hope?” He teased back towering over her in heeled boots. Even barefoot the man was a giant, though, so it didn’t add much to his stature. His hands lingered on her hips rubbing soothing circles under the black fabric of her shirt. He squeezed softly and stooped to remove his boots and pat Arlo’s wiggling booty. His tail was going a mile a minute, “When are my thoughts about you ever bad?”

“I don’t know. You did throw a pillow at my head this morning.”

It was true, she had indeed done that.

“Would you mind putting him into his kennel? Mike will be here soon and I don’t want to deal with Arlo jumping up on him. Just for ease of transaction so his ass can be gone quickly.”

The lumbering man disappeared around the corner of the hallway to bring a bounding Arlo to her bedroom where his kennel was hidden away in the closet. Like clockwork at seven thirty on the dot another knock sounded on the door. She pulled it open eagerly.

“Hey, babes!” Rachel greeted Rowan who gave her own squeal of excitement to see her mother. She was quick to vacate her father’s arms in favor of her other parent who had missed her like nothing else the past two weeks even despite her efforts to stay busy. She splattered her round face with kisses letting her know as much in rushed words, “Oh, I’m just so happy to see your stinky face.” Rachel pressed Rowan’s tender cheek to her own savoring the feeling of her daughter in her arms almost forgetting Mike was still there holding the carseat and duffel bag looking annoyed beyond belief.

She deposited Rowan to the hardwood flooring hearing her scamper away into the living room where her toys were stowed away in cubes under the television, “Thanks for bringing her back in one piece.”

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Her ex husband was quick to sneer dropping the carseat with a heavy thud to the ground startling her with both the action and his tone. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest repeating his exact words from two weeks ago when they had briefly discussed their cat, “Around here somewhere.”

Mike was fuming and it was obvious by the sharpness of his voice and the set of his mouth bringing back vivid memories of his fists hitting her flesh in the same spurred anger. She couldn’t help but flinch when he growled out, “You have a lot of nerve bringing some guy you’re fucking with you to drop off our daughter, you know?”

She scoffed, “He isn’t just some guy I’m fucking, but thanks.”

This time he scoffed retorting, “How serious is it then?”

“I’d say pretty serious considering he flew all the way to Utah with me to drop off my daughter.”

“You know I knew you were stupid but dating a married guy takes the fucking cake, Rachel.”

And just like that her blood chilled. It was obvious he knew much more than she assumed he would. Maybe someone in his family had shared the mean spirited web page with him devoted solely to bad mouthing her as both a mother and a human being. It enraged her. She had long ago been cast off by both him and his family. She wasn’t about to start caring about their opinions now. He didn’t own her anymore and never would again. Still, she kept her mouth shut with bated breath as he got in her face telling her just how much of a whore she was bringing tears she couldn’t prevent to her eyes. She closed them out of habit blocking out the ticking vein in his forehead, the ruddiness of his skin, the spit flying from his lips as his voice raised in anger or even misplaced jealousy. It was abundantly clear that he still felt the compulsion to think of her as his property which was sickening. She had enough and reached out to shove his chest wanting his body far away from her own which only angered him more. He raised a hand to smack her back only to be shoved back so hard that his back connected with the wall on the opposite side of the hallway rocking a framed picture of a clear lake surrounded by trees. It fell to the carpet loudly echoing the sound of shattering the glass from the walls.

“Don’t ever think about raising your hand to her again, asshole,” Armie spat from between clenched teeth as he stood beside her. Her own personal shield from the force that was her ex husband who was sitting on his ass in clear shock that Armie had actually hit him, “And I suggest you learn some respect while you’re at it.”

“Bite me,” Mike hissed, standing with fists clenched at his side. Rachel could tell he was debating internally on whether to sock Armie in the face or walk away. He would be an idiot to punch him back, not to mention she already had her phone in hand to call the police if need be before they killed each other in the hallway of her apartment building, “I wouldn’t be so quick to talk about respect, Hammer, considering you’re the one cheating on your wife with her.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about me or him,” she finally defended, stepping in front of Armie to prevent him from coming forward and hitting him again. She grabbed the bag and carseat to bring inside so she could shut the door on him only to be stopped by his hand on her wrist, “I know plenty. You’ve lived it and should know better.”

“I am none of your concern,” she couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his hand from her skin, “and I’ll have you know that this man treats me better than you ever did.”

And with that she shut the door in his face leaving him silent on the opposite side. It was only then that she could breathe. It was quiet in the apartment for a long moment as Armie simply watched her lean back against the door wiping her face with shaky hands. See looked up at him with a halfhearted smirk cocking the corner of her lip, “I can’t believe you hit him.”

“I barely touched him.”

She laughed, running a hand down his arm to wind their fingers together, she brought their conjoined fist to her lips to kiss his bruised flesh so tender from the force of his punch. Not that he would ever admit to it hurting. The look on the asshole’s face when he sent him flying was healing enough. Armie cradled her face between his palms stroking her cheekbones with soft swipes of his thumbs. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had turned to pure physicality to handle a situation. It wasn’t in him, but something had just snapped the moment he had heard Mike yelling at her. He had seen pure red when he walked around the corner to see his hand raising against her. Real men didn’t hit women. That was one of the many things his own father had taught him in life. He desperately wanted to throw a few extra punches to a punching bag right about now as he looked down at his girlfriend seeing the hurt still flashing though her jade eyes. He would have given anything he owned to take that pain entirely away. All he could do was take her into his loving arms hoping it was the right thing. The way she sunk into his chest told him he was right. He rubbed his hands over her back, her neck, and down her shoulder blades in soothing strokes, “How do you feel about Chinese?”

She looked up at him with a smile instantly flooding her face with warmth, “Only if we get cheese wontons.”

“Deal,” he spoke against her temple. He kissed the soft skin there, “Anything you want.”

And she knew he meant it in more ways than one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Armie, the golden boy, is a true knight in shining armor. We love a chivalrous man.


	12. "I know."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> W A R N I N G
> 
> This story is quite obviously NC-17 and pretty much smut with a plot. If you don't like reading smut I highly suggest you skip the entire end of this chapter because that is all it really is. Sorry, not sorry. I'll get my cheap thrills where I can. Don't judge my sexual fantasies.
> 
> Also: this is fantasy and fictional. Nothing in this chapter, story, UNIVERSE is really occurring. I don't know a damn thing about what Armie is currently up to. I just make it up in my mind. This has been a PSA and quick Ted Talk.
> 
> Enjoy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... “Constant anxiety,” Rachel finished the ad libbed line spewing forth from the car radio as she clung to the armrest of the Bentley Armie was currently maneuvering through traffic on a busy California roadway. Armie chuckled and patted her hand reassuringly, “I’m a phenomenal driver. You know this.”

“Still doesn't help my sloshing stomach,” she grumbled, fiddling with her phone on her lap pulling up social media to mindlessly scroll through which she had been avoiding for the last few weeks. She was extremely nervous about meeting Armie’s family. It was just a small family dinner for the holidays, that is it. Still the first time you meet your significant other’s parents is always nerve wracking. She had voiced her hesitation more than a few times. He was adamant that everyone would love her, and Rowan especially, who was in the backseat straddled on either side by Armie’s own kids in matching smocked outfits. They had spent the entire hour and a half drive from Hancock Park to Santa Barbara chatting amongst themselves. Rachel was just impressed they seemed to have no problem understanding Rowan’s sometimes incoherent toddler talk. In her defense it had gotten significantly better since starting daycare in July. She still had trouble expressing herself in moments but it was more precise with elevated vocabulary. Thank god the expensive childcare was paying off.

When they pulled into Michael’s estate her palms started to immediately sweat before Armie even had parked the car. The rat race begins. She huffed in a deep, settling breath before exiting the car to help unbuckle the closest child which happened to be Harper who just looked at her strangely as if just remembering her mother was not there with them. Rachel couldn’t even begin to dream what the children thought about this all nor did she know exactly what Elizabeth had explained to them regarding her absence there today. Maybe she just told them she was a nanny. Now that would have been scandalous. But Harper shocked her, though, by remaining by her side as she unbuckled Rowan only to sweetly clasp hands with the younger girl. Rachel momentarily considered snapping a photo but decided otherwise. The duo were joined by Ford who, at 4, already towered over Rowan by several inches. They didn’t seem to mind the age gap as they formed a human chain with clasped hands headed straight for the door together dragging poor Rowan along in the middle. She couldn’t help but laugh as she connected her own hand with Armie’s outstretched palm.

“Look at how cute they are together.”

“Mmm, very,” he agreed, pressing a quick kiss to her temple sensing her anxiety and readily trying to calm her before they both had a panic attack. Rachel’s jittery hands smoothed the skirt of her emerald dress. Not the same one from Vegas, of course, considering that dress had about a three inch hemline. She almost snorted thinking about what The Hammers would have thought of her showing up in a low cut mini dress to Christmas Eve dinner. This particular dress had been a last minute ASOS delivery for the evening in particular. It swished around her calves with every step and sleeves of beautiful floral patterned lace grazed her wrists. It was just modest enough to make the perfect first impression. So she hoped. They all seemed to match in various shades of emerald, crimson, and ivory. The picture perfect family without actually being a family in the first place. They paused together on the front stoop as Armie allowed the kids to ring the doorbell, “Do I look nice?”

“You always look nice.”

“Do I look nicer than usual then?” She joked with narrowed eyes making him roll his own and mumble his sentiments echoing his prior declaration of her always looking nice. In all actuality she had really tried to impress today taking extra time to make sure her hair laid perfectly in soft curls down her back and her makeup was simple, understated, yet expertly applied with a festive pretty red lip and shimmery golden eyelids. Armie swore his family wasn’t all about looks but she doubted those words. He came from such a well to do family with so many ties to the community. There was no way they were not still reeling over the recent scandalous leak of their relationship. Armie’s own publicist had been very firm with them both to not talk about it whatsoever with anyone outside their immediate family. It would all mull over in time like anything else, she had reassured, which only helped slightly. The only person she continued to gossip with over the whole thing was Amanda, but that was only because she trusted her.

Armie cursed under his breath and turned back for the car to retrieve a bottle of wine he had brought for his step mother leaving her alone on the steps as the door swung open. She pasted a quick fake grin to her lips as she made eye contact with who could only be Armie’s father, “Howdy.”

She instantly regretted the greeting and her face turned as red as her hair in embarrassment. Luckily saved her from her misery appearing immediately behind her with a supportive hand to the nape of her neck, “Hey, Dad. Merry Christmas!”

They were quickly ushered into the foyer where Rachel dropped down to a crouch to help the girls take off their coats. Harper was persistent in taking her own off. Luckily Rowan accepted her mother’s assistance and happily bounded off with Ford into the other room making Rachel nervous. Harper was growing frustrated with the buttons on her pea coat and stamped her tiny Mary Jane clad foot in irritation.

“Can I please help?” Rachel asked softly, reaching for her hand with a light supportive touch. The young girl agreed and watched Rachel deftly slip the buttons through their holes, “Thank you.”

It was probably the first complete sentence she had spoken to her and it brought such a sudden surge of happiness to her heart to hear. Harper didn’t stick around, though, vacating Rachel and her father in favor of playing with the other children by the tree in the living area. She hung the coats and sidled up to Armie and stroked his hand looking up with a smug grin, “She willingly talked to me; Do you believe that?”

“Progress, baby, progress.” He replied cheekily with a wink and a kiss. She was suddenly aware of the eyes watching them in mild interest. So many pairs of eyeballs. Her armpits began to sweat uncontrollably. There was nothing worse than stress sweat. She was overly nervous as Armie led the way into the large formal living room introducing her to family members along the way. She would probably never remember all of their names: Michael, Viktor, Angie, Misty. She actually had an older cousin named Misty so that one wouldn’t be too hard to remember. She was evidently Armie’s step mother who was very gracious for the expensive bottle of wine he had brought along. Something he had picked up on their trip during the Thanksgiving holidays in Vegas. His father was surprisingly eager to hear about their roadtrip. She left Armie to tell the tale since he was the master storyteller. She was still much too frazzled and embarrassed by her earlier proclamation of ‘Howdy’ to even look Michael directly in the eye at this point let alone speak. She had never been good at public speaking anyway. Armie was the complete opposite. She had never seen a better storyteller. Even Rowan was impressed by his bedtime renditions of stories complete with different character voices.

They ate a catered early dinner as a family in the elegant dining room. Rachel sipped at her glass of Merlot hoping the wine would give her some form of liquid courage so she could actually reply to questions directed her way without stuttering an answer. She swore to Armie’s brother’s wife that she isn't this awkward all the time. Angie seemed to believe her at least. Armie took everything in stride, though, helping her load the kid’s plates with honey baked ham and fresh rolls. He even made her plate for her allowing her a brief moment alone with everyone else at the table which was only mildly scary. It felt nice to be wholly welcomed. They had indeed taken very quickly to Rowan who was essentially treated like the others in terms of affection. Rowan didn’t know any different, though. Rachel assumed she was confused about these people that Harper and Ford referred to as Grandma and Grandpa. They were quite obviously not her own grandparents. Nonetheless she loved the attention accepting cookies from the older generation with sweet gap toothed smiles.

After dinner they sat in the living room once more to open presents with Armie and Rachel sharing a loveseat. She curled up next to him like a cat basking in the warmth that radiated through his ivory cashmere sweater as well as the fire behind them that continued to roar in the brick fireplace. She tucked her bare feet up under his khaki clad thigh and nuzzled her face into his shoulder watching the kids open paper wrapped presents adorned with pretty bows. Rowan and Harper received much of the same items: baby dolls, carry all style dollhouses with handles on top, paints and markers. It felt good for her child to be included. It felt even better when the adults started changing presents as she watched Armie react over a set of top of the line golf clubs. 

“There is something for you as well, Rachel,” she was coaxed from the loveseat in surprise to open a large box covered in pasted paper with caricatures of Santa Claus. Within the box was a large double train case for her hair tools, “Armie told us you just graduated from cosmetology school.”

“Yes,” she breathed, touching the metal boxes with spurred happiness. She couldn’t contain her bubbling excitement as she thanked Michael and Misty both for the thoughtful gifts for both herself and her daughter. It felt good to be in a family setting again after having spent the last year alone without that kind of support system. She was incredibly thankful to have been accepted so very easily into their family unit. It was almost as if she had been there all along. She suddenly started crying which only embarrassed her again.

“I’m just really happy to be here with your family,” she had sniffled to Armie in the privacy of the bathroom after she had excused herself from the festivities. He had found her there sitting on the countertop with tears streaking her mascara. He gathered her into his arms against his broad chest with a soothing shushing sound, “I told you that they would love you. You don’t listen.”

She laughed and knocked his chest with her knuckles, “Don’t be a jerk, jerk off.”

“I’ve got something you can jerk off,” he had retorted, and she was so extremely tempted to get him off right there in the bathroom but she didn’t. She would never survive the horror if they were discovered in a situation like that at his parent’s house. Talk about absolutely horrifying. She settled for a series of heated kisses with her tongue in his mouth and his palms sliding tantalizingly under her skirt and up her spread, bare thighs. He left her to fix her makeup in the mirror after several moments. She took the time to compose herself and ease her racing heart. 

They left soon after to make it home before bedtime for the kids so they could wake up early to see what Santa had left for them. The ride home was long and tiring listening to the kids bicker in the backseat about god knows what. She rested her head against the cool window pane with her hand on the gearshift with Armie’s covering it. She fell asleep before they even hit Ventura.

“Rachel,” Armie whispered into her ear, stroking her mussed auburn curls, “Rach, baby, we’re home.”

Home. She knew he didn’t really mean it that way. It was his home, of course, but not her own. He had asked her not long ago if she wanted to just move in with him since they had gone public at that point. She immediately said no despite how tempting not having to pay rent was. It was bad enough that she slept there so often. She wouldn’t be okay with herself living with him before his divorce was finalized. Then again she had said that about sex so long ago and look at them now. They couldn't go two hours without having their hands all over the other. He was worse about it than she was. The horn dog.

Rowan and Ford were already asleep in their seats with Harper not being far behind them. She allowed Rachel to pull her from the car with sleep clouded eyes. Armie easily carried the other two with one on each hip. “What a man,” she briefly thought as they changed the kids into striped pajamas and placed them into their respective beds. She briefly wondered what to do with Rowan who had been sleeping in Harper’s bed on overnight visits to Armie’s house. He offered to sleep on the couch, but she declined in favor of Rowan sleeping between them in the king size bed. She settled the sleeping toddler safely in a bundle of soft blankets nuzzling her downy cheek and stroking her curls whispering, “Goodnight, baby.”

She had some last minute wrapping to do in the study and assisted Armie with his own. She had already wrapped all the small gifts for him because she hadn’t wanted him to see them before Christmas morning. She watched him struggle with a tape dispenser for a long moment before laughing at his pain. He threw a wadded up piece of wrapping paper at her laughing himself as it bounced off her forehead. She threw a bow at him in retaliation, “Jerk off.”

“I love it when you talk dirty,” he teased, laying his body partially across her pressing her breathlessly to the rug beneath her. He ran a slow hand down her cheek cupping her chin softly. She closed her eyes savoring the feeling of his thumb rubbing tender circles, his breath splayed across her lips, and his body pressed deliciously against her own. 

“Are we done with presents now?” he asked, his voice vibrating deliciously deep within his chest. All she could do was nod. He took the lead in pressing his lips against her own tasting the sweet wine on her breath. He drank her in eagerly enjoying the feeling of her pliable flesh under his fingertips. He was practically drunk on the taste of her when they parted with a breathless pant. Her green toned eyes were dark with lust, her pupils blown out almost completely taking over the iris. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Rachel rushed to shove the slew of presents under the tree and turn out the lights, giggling as Armie’s impatient hands fumbled with the hem of her dress to pull it over her head without bothering to loosen the buttons on the back causing the garment to catch around her shoulders awkwardly. Armie huffed as he yanked once more on the fabric, “God dammit!”

“Don’t, honey, you’ll rip it!” she cried as he continued to fiddle with the dress as they walked through the room to his ensuite, “I’ll buy you a new one. One with an elastic neckline for easy removal.”

She undid the buttons and flung the emerald lace to the side in the bathroom leaving her in only a crimson red lingerie set and tights. She sank down onto the edge of the tub pulling at the tights only to be stopped by Armie who sank to his own khaki clad knees and assisted in pulling the thin elastic fabric down her hips and over her bare feet. He bunched them in one hand throwing them blindly as he brought his lips to her feet kissing the tips of her toes, the arch of her foot, her slender ankle and toned calf, all the way up her thick thighs taking his time to brand searing kisses onto every every inch of exposed skin. His own eyes were dark in the moonlight streaming in from the frosted windows. She couldn’t look at his face anymore for every second that passed killed her slowly. He slowly stripped down in front of her, first kicking off his khaki trousers, his socks, the soft cashmere sweater, and finally the plaid collared shirt he wore underneath. His fingers teased at the buttons taking entirely too long. Armie was teasing her when she craved his hands all over her body so badly. He answered her wishes by gathering her into his arms and leading the way into the shower, turning the knobs to spray cold water all over her flushed skin making her gasp as her nipples puckered under the frigid water.

“Asshole,” she groaned with teeth chattering as he fumbled with the knobs again. The water turned from ice to fire almost instantly pelting her chest and shoulders and taking away the chill. The rainfall shower head drizzled down over her head drenching her hair, but none of it mattered because instantly Armie’s tongue was back in her mouth as he pressed her body against the tiled wall of the shower stall. His hands wrapped around the backs of her slick thighs hefting her up to ease the distance between their mouths. Her legs wrapped around his bare pelvis feeling the firmness of his arousal pressed against the curve of her soft stomach. She reached between them as their kisses grew more frantic to palm his hard cock. She tracked a fingernail down the underside of the head causing him to grunt and the length to bounce slapping the lips of her dripping cunt. He paused, looking into her eyes for some hint to slow down. He wouldn’t find it there, though, because her eyes drifted down between them, trained on the juncture of her thighs as his cock pressed forward once more with a simple flick of his hips to completely spear her eager pussy. He almost came then with her soft mewls echoing in his ear.

“Oh fuck, Armie.”

He quieted her moans with his mouth as he dug his fingers into the smoothness of her thighs. The water streamed down caressing their entwined bodies in a flood of delicious warmth. He thrusted into her slowly savoring the feeling of her cunt stretching around his cock, the slickness of her chest against his own, and the curl of her feet against his spine. Her breath was caught in her throat as she leaned her head back against the white subway tile. She drug her nails down his back in wanton satisfaction. 

She wanted more. Needed more. Was absolutely desperate for more.

He loved to hear her beg for it. Maybe it was a guy thing? But her soft voice against his ear pleading for release flipped an instant switch as he sank down onto the built in shower bench taking her semi squatting over his lap with her feet firmly planted on either side of his thighs braced on the stone. She leaned back into his embrace with closed eyes letting him manipulate her hips pulling and pushing her body against his pelvis. She could feel every single inch of him in this position. She sank down on her own accord bouncing on his lap desperate for the friction between them to bring her closer and closer to release. His hand trailed a line up her spine to the base of her skull threading his fingers into her drenched hair and pulling roughly. It didn’t take long for her to cum on top of him in a quaking dance of tongues and hands. Rachel dropped down bruising her knees as she took him greedily into her mouth. Looking up at him from below she sloppily slurped him feeling his legs tense under her widespread palms.

“Cum on my face.”

He couldn’t control himself as he yanked her upward to press a heated kiss to her lips and stood up to hover over her still kneeling body with the rainfall showerhead still dumping its load onto her face and shoulders. He stroked himself letting her lips briefly tease the head. If he wasn’t entranced by her before he sure was now with the vision of how she looked up at him with ocean eyes as wide as her eager little mouth searing deeply into his brain. His legs shook as his orgasm reached its peak only pushed over the edge by the hot grip she had on his throbbing dick. Her pretty pink tongue swept along his frenulum as her hand gently squeezed his balls. He erupted in an arc of cum that swept over her head completely to splatter against the shower wall. She took the last dribbling bit into her mouth popping off his dick with that familiar satisfied, glazed look in her eyes.

“I love you,” she breathed into his ear as they held each other under the cooling water stream. He kissed her cheek, her chin, her ear lobe, and finally leaned in to attach their lips pausing for the slightest moment so their eyes could meet in the moonlight, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told y'all it was smutty. Believe me next time.


End file.
